Die Rote Rose
by WizardsOfHogwarts
Summary: It's 1942, Grell has been assigned to a death camp in order to ensure death comes naturally as possible but, with the amount of inviting souls, other forces make his mission a tad bit difficult. Historical fiction, AU!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

It's 1942, Grell has been assigned to a death camp in order to ensure death comes naturally as possible but, with the amount of inviting souls, other forces make his mission a tad bit difficult.

A/N: As a fair warning, this story will contain graphic scenes and disturbing content, along with sexual situations, do enjoy. References to the manga and anime will be made.

* * *

_"Kristina just found out she's pregnant, I mean, I gotta feel sorry for her; her husband got shipped out months ago but now he came back all messed up and...hey, Grell? Grell? Are you listening?"_

_Grell was uninterested in Ronald's gossip, though the younger Shinigami looked slightly crestfallen at being ignored._

_It was the beginning of the summer of 1942. The Germans have taken Poland three years before (which opened the bloody war) and, only a about year ago, nearly gotten a hold of Great Brittan if it weren't for the Royal Air Force. From what he could gather, for information was scattered through out the numerous Dispatch Divisions, he knew that Japan had taken Manchuria (though that was so long ago during the Acts of Aggressions) and had dragged America into the world wide conflict in both the Pacific and Atlantic Theater. Oh so much had happened though Grell had experienced a small portion of what had happened.  
_

_Grell had lived through it, the air raids, but remained home, unwilling to go off into the battlefield.  
_

_He wasn't the type to go for wars, he preferred murderers than inartistic bloodshed with bodies piling up and souls being a pain to reach._

_His hands reached for the morning paper and shook it to straighten the pages out. It was another topic of war but he was looking for the latest deals of the clothing shops in the market. Maybe he could steal himself a new dress..._

_"Grell! I'm trying-"_

_"That's nice, Ronald."_

_"Ugh, never mind."_

_He sensed that Ronald was looking over the paper to read. "Hey, the shops are still out of business," the man clicked his tongue._

_Grell stared at him. "Hm?"_

_"It'll take years to repair things, not months," Ronald said,"or you can go out and raid whatever shop you want, it's not like I'm going to stop you."_

_"That's exactly why I'm going through the catalog," Grell chuckled to him, he clucked once more._

_"You're such an opportunist."_

_They were starting their day at a newly opened cafe at the heart of London. Survivors and workers were few at this time of the hour but a couple were making their purchases at the store. Many wore the most dingy clothes and some barely at shoes on their feet but nonetheless, they miraculously had money. Ronald took his seat across from Grell, a new cup of the brew was set between them. Out of everyone, they stood out like a sore thumb but none paid any attention to them, humans were too wrapped up in their own problems to care._

_Grell reached out for his cup and drank, then he set his paper down._

_A shooting was supposed to go off at this new establishment, Grell checked his watch. Only five minutes before time, he glanced at Ronald; at the subtle cue, the man produced a black folder and read through it before looking up to search for the victims._

_"It's only three people in the line, then the clerk," Ronald announced to him. Grell looked over his shoulder. The line only contained five people, there was a beautiful woman at the desk giving out drinks to those who ordered it. Grell leaned against the table and propped his chin on his hand. "It doesn't look like anything's gonna happen though."_

_"Yeah, shooting sprees normally start out like this. Tell me...how was your time at France?"_

_Ronald shrugged. "Boring, just reaping and the usual things, I wasn't needed no more than a day since the Paris Division had that covered."_

_Grell quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? A day? But you stayed a month."_

_"Actually, spent that time with the ladies there." Ronald gave a cocky smirk. "Thinking of switching positions there after all of this."_

_"Well, oversea jobs are a fun experience for everyone. I hope to get a part at one of those German camps-" Ronald have a warning for Grell to lower his voice. "-there's so much to do there."_

_Ronald gave him a worried expression. "That's what I was going to tell you about, it was about Kristina's husband; he was actually assigned to a death camp in Germany, A...A-Auschwitz I think. Keep it a hush-hush but there's a bit of rumors that he went completely lost his marbles there. Hell, he tried to torture his coworker-"_

_"You mean he went mad?"_

_Ronald nodded._

_"Very much. Poor Harvey, William-senpai says that they're going to institutionalize him, Kristina was so devastated at that. With Harvey gone, the Administration is trying to recruit Shinigami to go over there to replace the bloke, I mean, there's so many dying there that not even the Berlin Division can keep up with the numbers. You think anyone will want to even go to any of those places? Just one look at Harvey makes you know some shit went on down there to fuck him up so badly. I'm sort of disturbed about it and yet here you are telling me that you want to get a taste of what Harvey got."_

_Grell shrugged. "I was Jack the Ripper, how much worse are those Nazis?"_

_The blond shook his head._

_"The Blitz wasn't at all that bad, compared to Waterloo, this was no different."_

_"I'm not too sure-"_

_And then gunshots rang through the air. Immediately, Grell saw three people drop dead in line, then the clerk slumping back behind the counter. Blood was splashed over onto the wall, signifying that the shooter was using a shotgun, Grell took a few steps before summoning his chainsaw diving behind the counter to reap the woman's soul, taking in her name, history, and any special remarks, which were none. He peered over to see the shooter, a grisly man with a long, white beard approach him._

_"Get the fuck out of my way!" He demanded, and Grell complied, letting him go over as well to take the money._

_Screams were overheard from Ronald's lawnmower as he took down his final soul._

_"...no remarks," Grell heard the younger Officer say. Soon enough, the duo were done with the morning's reaping and the robber took the money he needed. The commotion had caused the street to go empty, Grell snorted down a laugh._

_"Anyway, you were saying?" Grell began casually as they walked away from their spot and down a newly repaired street. "Something about a camp?"_

_"Right, anyway, I'd stay out of there. You'd be better off here."_

_-...-_

_The following evening ended with Grell filling out the papers, he was quiet about it. Ronald had left after finishing early, he went off for a party somewhere at someplace, Grell cared less._

_"There was the the cafe, then the bookstore...oh, a shame it wasn't a clothing store but women don't carry guns," Grell murmured to himself. His office door swung open, William came in, unannounced. For the first time in his life, Grell was seeing an emotionally unstable William, surely, whatever happened surely shook him to the bone. As if to address him, Grell dropped his pen to the floor and stood up from his desk, growing concerned by the minute. "Will! What the devil are you doing here? Why...Will, are you crying?"_

_But the man was. He had tears that were swelled up in his eyes, they were bloodshot red, and he seemed to be hiccuping. "Tell me that you don't know German."_

_Grell raised a questionable eyebrow as he rounded his desk, he was immediately embraced by William. Again, it was another first to be held so tightly. Normally, Grell would gladly take the situation to flirt with the man but for now, he felt that it wasn't the time to do so._

_"Will, I know German, it was my first language."_

_"No, no, no, oh please, no," William began to rave on, holding Grell's head tightly to his chest._

_After the disappearance of Sebastian, William had the ability to tell Grell that he had been jealous over the fact that the redhead was fawning over a demon. It took years of understanding one another properly, and, as time went on, William eventually softened up to Grell, being more than just friends with him. As far as their relations went, Grell knew that the man had fallen for him but was simply not ready to tell him yet; they had all eternity and Grell could wait, he loved living through a romance that slowly became a reality._

_They had shared a bed once in a while but never had the chance to actually be in a relationship, mostly due to William being a higher position and now not having enough time to settle down a bit, especially with the break outs of World War One and then the second one._

_Grell pulled away enough to look at William, he wiped away the tears that had threatened to spill over. "What's going on?"_

_"They're planning on discharging you to Auschwitz, Grell," he said so dreadfully, burying his face into the luscious, red hair,"you need to get away!"_

_"Wait, you're actually going against orders?"_

_William pried himself off of Grell but remained having his arms firmly planted upon his shoulders. "It's not an order yet, I overheard it from the Administration when I went to drop off papers. I was afraid that you would be sent off-"_

_"Ah, Will, don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Grell said to him with a reassuring smile but William's eyes lit up with fear,"besides, I always wanted to go there."_

_William shook him violently, nearly shouting,"Are you insane? It's not fun and games at the camp, have you seen Harvey at all?"_

_"No, but from what I gather, he's locked away-"_

_"I'm guessing they'll be sending you there to investigate what happened as well!"_

_He released Grell and began to pace around the room, trying to stomp out his nervousness. Then he paused, he looked at Grell with that desperate look. His mouth opened to speak but then a knock greeted them from the door, they looked over their shoulders to see a pale-faced Shinigami that tried to make up for his sickly appearance with a daunting expression._

_He was about a few inches shorter than Grell, his dominating demeanor made William take a step back just to give him room. The man was one of the Administrators, perhaps the same one William had eavesdropped on earlier. He was still knocking for a bit, then he adjusted his glasses while asking,"Am I interrupting something?"_

_"No, not at all," Grell said placidly._

_Despite hearing his two friends give him warnings, the redhead was more than glad to take on whatever mission there was._

_The older Shinigami was dressed as similarly to William, only that he wore a long-coat and had silver hair; his glasses were horn-rimmed. He had a folder tucked underneath an arm, his free hand motioned for Grell to come. Immediately, Grell left William, not looking back and also ignoring his pleas. Grell even had the gall to close the door on him as he followed the elder Shinigami._

_"Ahem, I suppose I can take a walk with you," the man said. They went on in the hallways of the office, conversing the nature of Grell's newest mission..._

-...-

3 June 1942

Days had passed Grell since had left London.

He was boarded on the final train that would lead him to Auschwitz, and from there, he was scheduled to meet with his superior by daybreak.

_"Mr. Sutcliff, you are assigned to approach Auschwitz at a different manner than Mr. Davis Harvey. You will be going as a Schutzstaffel Totenkopfverbände *1, an SS-TV Officer, in order to go undetected."_

So far, the trip had been quiet. The train he rode had other German officers that were going about their businesses, whether for the camps or for the Nazi Party. He, as instructed, went on unnoticed by civilians and soldiers alike, though he had earned a few glances once in a while, perhaps by a Shinigami that was undercover as well though catching eyes were very rare.

_"Undetected from what?"_

_"Demons, of course, the whole of them reside at camps were massacres are common and souls go unchecked from time to time. As suggested by our allies at the Berlin Division, going about in the disguise of a Schultzstaffel *2 will be most beneficial for you as you reap souls, you'll fit in with the general populous and be unsuspected."_

There was a slight nudge to Grell's shoulder, the man cracked open his eyes. He was facing the seat in front of him, he rubbed them under his glasses and then looked up at who awoken him.

It was another S.S. Officer, garbed in a replicating uniform, down to the last medal upon his person. Grell sniffled and then gave him a pleasant smile with a greeting,"Guten morgen." *3

"Guten morgen," the human replied, he went on in German though Grell could catch bits of words he had forgotten,"we have arrived at Auschwitz, I believe that was your destination, ja?" *4

Grell looked about, the train had stopped at the station and luckily, it had stopped at a sign that was green and had the name **Auschwitz II - Birkenau** printed in white. The redhead was slightly groggy but maintained his consciousness. "Ja, ja, danke." *5

The man stepped away and Grell got up. Graciously, the S.S. Officer reached up to the compartment and grabbed Grell's trunk and satchel. Grell thanked him once more and, with is possessions, began to make his way to the entrance where the platform for disembarking was. Clamoring about, he managed to get himself and his things off and out of the train and into the open. He nearly stumbled because of his ridiculous militia boots but managed to remain balanced for the most part.

Another Officer came to his assistance and took his possessions while saying to him in German,"Grell Sutcliff, I presume?"

"Indeed," Grell answered, still holding his satchel,"you are the one I am to meet?"

"Ja. I am Schutzstaffel-Obersturmführer*6 Claude Faustus. Heißen Sie willkommen zu birkenau." *7

_"Also, we need you to solve the reasons for Mr. Harvey's sudden plunge to insanity, we suspect that it may have to do with demons and the composition of his soul, perhaps one or the other, maybe a combination of the two. Your equipment and documents will be waiting for you at the General Affairs. Good luck, Mr. Sutcliff. Oh, and one more thing."_

Grell stared at the man's golden eyes, suddenly entranced by their ardent glow.

As if noticing Grell's lack of interaction, Claude cleared his throat, the redhead snapped to attention. "Ah, Schutzstaffel-Standartenjunker*8 Grell Sutcliff, a pleasure to be acquainted to you, mein Herr." *9

_"You must root out the demons and figure out who the Shinigami are, that was the original task of Mr. Harvey but I guess you can say that he mistaken the two at some point. __With your linguistic ability, that shouldn't be much of a problem.__"_

Grell smiled to him though Claude remained stiff in his expression, Grell gave a slight frown to him but the man cleared his throat once more before saying,"Come, I will show you to your living quarters. Another will be waiting to give you your tour and following tasks for the facility. You are a new Obersturmführer, correct?" He walked, carrying the trunk with little to no effort, Grell followed on.

"Yes. Just promoted a bit after Operation Barbarossa last year," Grell lied openly,"but I had to go on a brief hiatus due to my group being utterly obliterated during that seizure. I suffered myself with a broken leg so I was relocated here after my healing."

Claude gave him a dubious look while walking on. "Interesting...you do know why you're here?"

Grell shook his head slowly. "Not at all."

"Our last Obersturmführer went missing a week ago though I am quite glad he left. The damage he did was rather...inhuman beyond our standards." Grell's eyebrows quirked up at the term. "Time here can take a toll to a man of a weak heart, and I must admit, the poor fellow was weak to begin with. I trust that you, as part of the regime who took on Yugoslavia, will not waver at anything here. You seem to be a man of strong will."

"You have no idea," Grell said with a slight bit of pride. However, it was when they passed by the barracks of the prisoners that his confidence was severely shaken. Just a few seconds of setting foot into the camp, Grell had the urge to return home.

* * *

A/N: I hope this story comes out well.

Translations:

*1 Protection Squadron- Death's Head-Units  
*2 Protection Squadron  
*3 Good morning  
*4 Yes?  
*5 Yes, yes, thanks  
*6 Senior Storm Leader (First Lieutenant)  
*7 Standard Officer Cadet (Officer)  
*8 Welcome to Birkenau  
*9 Sir

**_READ AND REVIEW!_**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

* * *

All that Grell saw were sunken-eyed faces of humans that were huddled with one another while standing near the fence. Each and everyone one of them had wore faded blue and white (or black and white), stripped clothes; their hair were snipped and poorly cut, some were even shaved. All had no other clothing, just themselves, barefoot.

Emaciated, bony, and composing of only their skin, Grell continued to stare, not knowing how to deal with such a horrific sight. It was something out of a nightmare, or possibly something worse, for he had never seen this amount of starvation pressed against anyone in his entire life. These people made the scum of London streets an allies look like nobles.

Grell tried to hold down his stomach.

It was something he had never witnessed before, it was a complete and utter shock to him that humans had the capacity to be this cruel to others.

"Are these the men?" He timidly asked, his voice wavering yet he attempted to keep it from being too noticeable. He even looked to the side to avoid Claude's peripheral vision though the man didn't seem to care about Grell's first impression of Auschwitz.

"No, these are the women," Claude replied indifferently.

_How revolting._

They continued on. The compound for the women was bordered around a wired fence that stretched on for a hundred more feet, then ended at a guard tower and followed a wall that seem to go on for ever. Within the compound were numerous buildings that seem to serve as the barracks for the women; bricked and roofed over with steel frames and slates, it was a rather sturdy but a depressing home nonetheless. Rows of them, some with doors open and most closed, were newly built.

It appeared as though the entire compound had a watch tower near every entrance and corner, Grell could clearly see the lights fixed on two sides to ensure none escaped the compound. He figured this went on for all of the compounds here and, if the women's area had been vast enough for him, he will simply loath the amount he'll have to reap from the other compounds.

There was little small talk, and Grell was more than happy. Claude was one who was not as interactive as anyone would be, and Grell couldn't blame him. The man was a Nazi hardened in the ways of bringing demise to others and letting the Father Country of Germany rise up to highest of whatever these blasted humans were trying to accomplish. Plus, being in an environment such as this would take a toll upon one's mentality, as Claude had said earlier.

As though he knew his mind, Claude suddenly stated,"Your reaction how exactly how our last Schultzstraffle comprehended the sight."

"Who was your last Schultzstraffle? If I can ask," Grell uttered, refusing to look to his left.

Claude let out a chuckle, a sadistic one at that, and replied,"His name was Rolf Schock, I have no idea how he suddenly vanished, and neither do the other Officers. Situations like that...should be left alone."

_So Harvey was not disguised as an SS-TV, but how did he come here?_

"Allein?" *1

"Yes, alone."

Then they were followed by silence, save for the myriad of murmurs from the "women" Grell could hear.

Eventually, after a long period of walking on and greeting other SS Officers, who gave a salute to Claude (Grell could guess he was of one of the higher ranks in Auschwitz), they arrived at the SS Barracks at the Northern part of Birkenau.

The buildings, a total of ten that had three floors, were much more elaborate and homey. Bricks and stones as the support and gutters with shingles for roofs were strongly implanted into the building; there were glass windows, some were open to filter the heat and cool the interiors.

They were met by a gate that opened with mechanical devices at each door, a post was built with a guard that maintained the filtration of incomers and out goers. Claude gave a nod to the man, who saluted in turn, and the gates creaked open. It was large enough to let two cars go through, though they passed through the middle.

"These are the SS Barracks, though they are called living quarters, and Administration Facility," Claude explained," the gates open at your presence so do not worry at needing access to go through, receiving night shifts are often so you yourself may take part of being at this position."

Grell murmured,"Ja," as the gates closed being them.

From here, Grell could see that the fence line were black vinyl, it reminded him of those estates he would see from London though the view beyond them from here was quite unpleasant. He followed Claude closely, their boots pounding against the asphalt. They passed a group of trainees that were in positions of rows in front of a human shouting orders to them; they moved about in formations in perfect synchronization at each count of the driller.

The Schultzstraffel said,"We take in trainees as well, you may take part in training them for combat from time to time, knowing your skills in warfare."

"How boring," Grell uttered,"to be fair, I specialize in guerilla tactics."

"Perfect, we teach that as well for krieg *2."

Grell nodded at approval, pretending he had any interest in combat. They went on deeper into the district; Grell noticed that this was where he saw a much more lax side to the Nazis. They seem to be average men at this side of the fence, some stripped to wife beaters or not wearing a shirt at all with slacks or jeans. Some were going about, relaxing for their day being free or going into break. They all were attempting to fan themselves in the shade while conversing with those who were in uniform on their own breaks for the hour.

They passed by a pair of double doors that were wide open to show those inside enjoying a time of drinking or gambling, or simply eating whatever rations were given to them for the day.

"That is where the entertainment is, after all, our men must be given a time of relaxation once in a while," Claude said, though his voice seem to hold a bit of spite. "Alcohol is allowed though the barkeep will only give a certain amount if you are interested."

"I'm not into drinking to be honest."

"Good."

Then they passed the armory. Claude was greeted by three men that had the same hair color of reddish black, though Grell took a great notice that the color looked more like purple; they were dressed so similarly that he swore they could be triplets. He grew skeptical of them, for he knew that the Nazi Party focused more upon experimenting on those who they know are not of the Aryan race. They all made eye contact with Grell and gave him nods in unison. Grell returned a nod though Claude remained unresponsive. They went on, passing them, though Grell glanced over his shoulder to make sure that they were still there.

And they were, though they had gotten back to cataloging whatever equipment Birkenau had.

_Is that even natural?_

Soon enough, they made it to the back of the SS Barracks where the living quarters were for the SS Officers themselves.

It was the same as the other buildings, though it had a pair of large, oak doors serving as the entrance to it. A bronze sign, etched with the unit number of the building, was shown to the right of the doors. A mailbox was situated under the sign for mail to arrive for the boarders.

Claude carefully placed down the trunk at the side of the door. "This is where you will be boarding." He reached into his pocket and handed him a silver key and two cards. "The key has the number to your room, the red card is your pass to enter the Barracks should you not be in uniform and the black card is your identification. Your identification will be needed to enter and depart from Birkenau should the need rise."

Grell took the items with his free hand and stowed them away in his pocket. He gave a curt bow and said,"Ich danke Ihnen sehr fur much begleiten, mein Herr. *3"

"Ich hoffe du erkennst den Informationen, die ich euch gegeben habe bisher," *4 he replied. Grell was slightly taken aback at the man's insult, he immediately grew to despise him.

He gave him a deadly glare though he smiled so pleasantly,"Das sollte kein Problem fur sein." *5

They exchanged several words, trying to see who would have the last say in things, though it was immediately broken up when the door opened with an Officer stepping out while fixing his hat. He was tall, slim, and slightly pale (since his black uniform made his skin glow slightly) though he seemed to have a bit of whiteness to him. His attention was on Claude as he stepped away saying,"If you will excuse me, I must tend to the Captain."

"Then don't let me be in your way," Grell shot at him, almost hissing it though he held his tongue from making it sound like a threat. Grell drilled glares into the man's back, wishing to kill him out of being an irritation to him.

He was immediately going to speak up until the Officer that had come out from the living quarter curiously ask,"Grell?"

Grell knew that voice anywhere. He saw the SS Officer, even more clearly when the man's arm came down to have his face come into view. Grell dropped his satchel to the ground, almost in shock, at the appearance of a familiar man, a former butler to be exact. The air was thick with both the summer heat and the sudden flare of unrequited feelings and a bitter scorn from each of the two respectively.

All that Grell could do was give a toothy grin and a salute similar to the men he had seen give to Claude. He tried to stifle his giggle and proclaimed in English,"That is Schultztraffel Grell Sutcliff, my dear Sebastian!"

And, as expected, the man openly clapped a gloved hand over Grell's mouth. Grell smiled giddily, it has been about sixty years since he last laid eyes upon the sleek demon. He was dismayed at the knowing of Sebastian suddenly vanishing off the face of the Human Realm but had eventually learned to cope with it. He stifled a giggle for this former butler had become the very toy that would cure the boredom for Grell's duration as an SS Officer. He continued to gaze at Sebastian, eyes wide and full of joy of seeing his dashing face.

"Leave, Grell," Sebastian warned him in German, eyes serious and baring into Grell's though the redhead dismissed the message.

The man was simply one worth dying for, Grell always fancied a man in a uniform and, oh, how deliciously Sebastian deigned his. Grell stepped back and stood a good distance away from Sebastian's reach. His objective was thrown out of the window at the sight of him, he grinned. "Leave? Oh, but that'd be no fun!" Sebastian reached out to catch him but he avoided the hand. It's been decades since he had played around!

Sebastian was about to move but then he stopped, saying,"I'm aware that you're here for the same reason as I and if you cooperate with me, I will aid you however I can."

Grell paused, then he walked up to him, calming down. His shoulders dropped. Sebastian was the last person he would want to remind him of his job. How heartless of the man to crush such a joyous reunion. The redhead took off his hat and adjusted it upon his head. "My reasons are quite different than yours," he huffed,"besides, what's a demon like you doing here? Aren't you afraid Shinigami are going to come after you in such a high mortality rated location?"

"No, I'm not afraid, especially with you being here." Sebastian folded his arms and placed to fingers to his forehead, it was a sign of his frustration. "But...speaking outside is not the safest place to be. My, are you the new Officer here to replace Schock?" Grell picked up his satchel while managing to lift up his bulky trunk. He saw Sebastian open his eyes (Grell gave a quick nod) and turn heel to open the door into the living quarters.

"Yes but I wasn't exactly given the full details yet. Reports came back a bit bare so, I know you as the gentleman you are, can you be so kind as to fill me in?" Grell inquired softly. He lumbered into the building with strenuous effort and managed to set it down near a desk. Sebastian snapped his fingers and a blond boy came in, he took the trunk from Grell and dragged it away, he was probably off to someone who can carry it up to Grell's room later on.

Sebastian paused, pondering at Grell's question, he turned around and faced him. "Naturally, if it would make you silent for a good time."

Grell sighed,"Finally, at least I have someone to converse with."

"What a bother." Grell fumed at the statement as he was lead to a set of stairs.

The lobby was slightly decorated with furniture though it had a spartan appeal to it. The only decoration was a picture of Hitler over a fireplace and, parallel to that on the other wall, a tapestry of the Swastika. Grell stared at it. At least the Nazis had a very good taste in color, he approved of it. Grell followed Sebastian but could only be behind him as they ascended a flight of narrow stairs.

"I never expected you as the replacement, I was told there would be a new arrival I would have to look after but I never knew that it would be you," Sebastian commented, Grell bobbed his head in agreement.

"Same to you, dear. Pray tell, why are you here? Aren't you and the brat off somewhere else to be free or something? Where is that boy anyway?"

Sebastian lead him to the second floor and into the hallway where it was bare save for the windows to the right and doors to the left. "He's here, though I do not want to disclose his location to you. What about yourself? How did you get passed the security so unnoticed?"

"Disguise, darling, disguise. Acting as well," Grell boasted. "The redness of my hair was too much for anyone to handle, I can't go about reaping while having several machine guns pointed at my back; I can't concentrate with that."

They walked on, going pass the many doors before reaching the last door that Sebastian stopped in front off and took his key out. "Interesting. I must say, the brownness of your hair suits you better than that garish red."

Grell smiled. "Aw, thank you for the compliment but red is truly my color." He was lead into the room and the first thing he took great notice of were the two beds at either side of the room. He added on the fact that Sebastian had the same key to the room, then his teeth revealed themselves as he nearly squealed,"Oh! We're going to be roommates! ?"

"...unfortunately, yes."

Grell pushed by him and threw his satchel on to the nearest bed that seemed unoccupied. He turned to face him and exclaimed with open arms,"How fortunate indeed!"

The thoughts of the prisoners, the thoughts of Claude, the thoughts of work, the thoughts of everything had vanished and were quickly replaced with a grand euphoria that sent Grell's mind bouncing off the walls. He was unafraid to show Sebastian how much he felt for him and, now that they would be sharing a room for God knows how long, Grell has finally got him cornered right where he wanted him to be.

Grell went over to hug Sebastian, the demon attempted to pry him off while saying,"Please, act professionally, we're in an army, of all places; this is one that does not come around well to your...preferences. How can you possibly be this happy in a place like this? It is a Death Camp for goodness sakes!"

"I fail to see your logic," Grell pouted when Sebastian managed to get him off. He went inside and closed the door, Grell had taken this as a sign to cease his flirting. He mollified himself by going off to sit on the bed while taking off his hat. He adjusted his new pair of spectacles as Sebastian went to a small stove at the corner of the room and began to boil water. Grell waited quietly, watching him, wondering what to do with him now that he has him all for himself.

Grell cleared his throat. "Now that we're indoors and alone, what must we speak about?"

"Perhaps about why you're here?" Sebastian asked over his shoulder while adjusting the flame.

"No, you first."

"I have nothing to say."

Grell sighed, knowing that this was going to go nowhere. "Then I won't as well. Dragging me up here seems to be a slight waste of time, both yours and mind, I must admit that. Well, since when did you pick up German?"

"You'd be amazed at what I know. Grell, I'm guessing that your disguise is meant for other means, am I correct?"

"...suppose you are, then that is what I have it for." He stood up, looking for a mirror, he wanted to see how well he kept his facade. "I must say, Madam Red taught me to look like this, bless her heart though damn her to Hell. Well, if we cannot speak of our selves, what must you say about, I believe, Rolf?"

Sebastian pointed over to the door that was in between the two beds, Grell went over to it and opened it to find the lavatory. He heard the former butler say,"Him? Ah, the one you are here to replace. Even I have no idea what had happened to the poor fellow, all that we know was that he fled the compound without word nor sign, the Gestapo have made placed him under a bounty just like any other Jew or Gypsy. He was always friendly with everyone, I have a hard time understanding what made him fled. Perhaps the sight was too much, time can-"

"_Time here can take a toll to a man of a weak heart_, yes, yes, as if I never heard that before!" Grell sighed, rolling his eyes. He looked at the mirror and found himself staring at a man with long, rich, brown hair. The look was overly boring, even the chain for his round spectacles were missing for the purpose of keeping into code with the decorum. After removing his leather gloves, he turned the faucet to the sink and found that the cold, running water to be the most refreshing thing that he has ever touched. He took off his glasses and splashed the cold water to his face.

No words were exchanged between him and Sebastian as he washed up.

With his eyes closed, he could suddenly remember the daunting faces of the pitiful women along the fences. He grimaced in his own mind and, taking a large breath, brought water to his face once more, hoping to rid himself of the image but it still stayed. His heart sank as he remembered that he would have to face them once more in the coming future.

* * *

A/N: I had to do a bit of an edit to year. The story takes place in 1942!

*1 Alone?  
*2 War  
*3 Thank you very much for escorting me, sir  
*4 I hope you remember the information I have given you so far  
*5 That shouldn't be a problem to me

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	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

* * *

Sebastian removed his hat, resting it upon his bed while readying the tea set.

His room, freshly wallpapered with blue to break the depressing atmosphere, was large enough for three though only two beds were the only occupants. The extra portions of the dorm had two mahogany desks with matching chairs at parallel sides though one side had another round stove (meant for heating) nearby; one desk, next to the heater, was empty with only a lamp while the other contained books that supported the Fascist movement, along with commodities of light reading.

There was an extra table near the organized desk with two chairs. Upon it were two saucers, a sugar bowl, some herbs, and then a jar full of spoons. A radio was also on the table, it allowed for broadcasts of the war's progression to be heard among the troops though it wasn't plugged in. A few magazines were cast to the side for Sebastian's references when he socialized with the humans. After all, he needed to know the top stories to appeal to the troops.

The water began to boil under the small flame and, having already cast the teacups and assortments for Grell's tastes, he heard the faucet still running. It had been about five minutes, he began to wonder exactly why Grell was taking too long to wash up.

He grew curious. Sebastian looked over towards the open door to the lavatory and saw that Grell was standing there, back facing him while being stationary.

The Shinigami wore the official SS uniform down to the very last button. Black with silver medals, he looked presentable to anyone though he was hardly recognizable save for the familiar long and luscious brown hair that was tied back with a conspicuous, red bow. Yet again, Sebastian was fooled by the standard look though the extra-ringed eyes were unmistakeable. There was a bulk of firmness causing the innocent demeanor, as was the disguise was meant for before, to be replaced with an intimidating feature.

Grell, before their encounter, left the impression that he was a man that had the capability to handle his own responsibilities, to face others directly without shirking, and also take on the world in a fearsome persona. But then again, he was an actor, or so as he claimed, and was much more of a woman in his psych than a woman herself. His disguise was practically flawless for he wore not a single bit of cosmetic though the fact that Grell still had the potential to slip up made Sebastian worry that he would at some point during his time at Birkenau.

He was absolutely perfect in appearance, Sebastian had to commend him for that and, as a demon, he was more than glad to have the power to sway him so easily. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vile and kept it tucked into his palm.

"Grell, is there something wrong?"

-...-

Grell remained motionless, eyes open.

The faces, so many, he saw them in the water. The bubbles made by the soap seemed to reflect their haggard expressions. The sound of Sebastian's voice alerted him but the whiteness of the foam attracted him once more, drawing him in, beckoning him to remember what he saw. His hands were gasping the edges of the sink, trying to not lose a grip on reality.

Those women, all of them have gone through pain. They were so innocent, he knew innocence when he saw it but the way they were battered down before him had shaken his views upon the camp. He had the urge to vomit, a toilet was there so he saw no reason not to but he had to keep his mind. He opted for this mission but, as in the past, he had commitment issues. Maybe he could lock himself up in the wardrobe to his left or maybe he could flee Auschwitz and forget about everything. All of this was not art to him, it was all monstrosity.

His nails dug into the porcelain rim.

Sebastian's voice came to him. "...something...matter?"

The foam built up due to the bar of soap being so carelessly dropped below the running water.

"Grell?"

The soap's suds now reminded him of their skin, pale and scarred.

He began to regret ignoring William and Ronald. How could he?

_William was in tears for God's sake!_

But then a firm hand took a grasp at his shoulder.

Grell leaped a mile in his heart, his head shot up to see the reflection in the mirror.

It was Sebastian, he looked concerned as he spoke once more, gently. "Are you feeling ill?"

Grell stared at him. "Slightly."

"Would you care for medication?" Sebastian offered him, letting go of Grell and reaching passed him to turn off the faucet. Close quarters forced Sebastian to come near enough for Grell to smell his sinful scent of leather and death. Of course, death had its own scent and varied from person to person; it was not the stench of cadavers but, oddly enough, the fear of a soul who's gone through the process. The scent of death was not a scent at all but more of an after-feeling in which the deed has been done.

Humans have it. Shinigami have it. Demons have it. Everyone that had killed has it.

Grell felt as though he had been intoxicated by Sebastian's scent, better yet, he felt relieved from the horrid images as though his smell was the incense to drive away the horror.

Sebastian was still reaching passed him but stopped, in the corner of his eye he saw him using the towel rack above the sink to support himself.

"Um..." But he was unable to answer.

The water draining was the only sound in the room, that and their breathing. Grell felt his chest press against his back, Sebastian's neck was close to Grell's mouth; he swore he could see a vein palpitating under the pale skin, begging Grell to taste him.

"Sebastian?" Grell uttered, he clearly remembered how severely the demon had beaten him before. He was afraid of being hit, especially since he was in perfect disguise. He had to be timid to win the demon's grace. "A-are you trying to seduce me?"

Obviously, he was when it was suddenly accentuated when Sebastian gave him a smirk that led Grell to know he was. "Now, now, what ever makes you think that?" He leaned away just enough to have his other hand go to Grell's waist and force him around so that the brunette was facing him directly. Grell was cornered and handicapped by his eyes but he had been with William enough times to know where this is going. The thought of William snapped him out of this erotic trance; he would only go so far as to flirt but, now that he was with William, he saw no reason to accept Sebastian.

Whether this was a cruel joke or not, Sebastian was Grell's temporary source of entertainment. But then again, he was away from home. William would never know and Grell, well, he would have urges eventually so he might as well start something fun. He still had feelings for the demon even after all these years, even if they were just about ready to be cast away they were slowly flooding back.

"The medication would mean yourself," Grell whispered into his ear. He has decided that he may as well use him; Grell thought he would never get into a position such as this he couldn't help wonder why the man had suddenly decided to warm up to him when, earlier, he was trying to avoid any sort of skin contact. It was odd that such a swing in the mood had came to him but his mind blanked on the pondering when Sebastian drew back just to come forth and press his lips against him, softly.

His thoughts wandered off, he felt one of Sebastian's hands go to his back to pull him closer.

It was suddenly so maddening when he felt a tongue push by to interact with his own; tastes were exchanged immediately. The taste, which was pleasantly sweet like honey, much to Grell's surprise, and ever so inviting caused him to be lost in a pool of euphoria. His hands, which had released the sink, instantly went to his shoulder blades to desperately pull him closer so that he could have a better grip upon him.

Their bodies were complementary with one another even though Grell's waist was pressed against the sink. He pulled away to breathe but Sebastian took the chance to linger a bit and say,"That was a good guess, but my medication for you was for you to leave this place. And this, here, it'll calm you down."

He let go of Grell's back and gave him a vial, instantly, Grell took it and drank it down to the last drop.

"Thank you, dear, but I can't go, not if you're here."

"Why?"

"In all actuality, it is not about you, it was about what happened to one of us is why I'm primarily here for." Grell's eyes opened and he attempted to shove Sebastian away but the man had used the bar behind him to keep himself anchored in place. He had remembered the taste, the sudden bitterness, from the vile. It was truth serum, he seduced him to into drinking it; even a small bit of it can have the most extraordinary results. "How dare-"

"You're a small game in a wood filled with beasts ready to eat you. Seeing how you're unwilling to cooperate, it was an imperative to give this to you to ensure your safety."

Grell's eyes closed to slits. "I could have manage well without you, I won't know whether to trust you on this. You may have been a heartthrob for me but you're a demon, you may as well have just fucked the information out of me!"

Sebastian gave a chuckle. "You would have preferred that?"

"Yes!" Grell immediately answered, much to his irritation, Sebastian rolled his eyes.

It was barely a day into settling down and Grell had leaked away a peace of information to him. For all he knew, Sebastian may have lost Ciel at some point or was ordered to do as he pleased. After all, so many innocent souls were just sprouting all over Auschwitz, a demon would have called this paradise on Earth; Grell summed up that Ciel may be on the premises enjoying feasts of human souls, after all, he was the only Shinigami here, a job like this was nearly impossible to cover.

The kettle whistled violently, telling Sebastian that it was more than ready to be attended to. Grell growled when Sebastian gave him a smirk and left him in the bathroom. He had to be thankful that the man chased away the thoughts of the women, even if it was meant for an entirely different intention. He reached for his glasses and brought them to his face after drying his skin. Now washed in consternation, he walked over to the table and pulled out the chair to sit himself upon it.

Sebastian occupied himself with the tea.

"Before we speak, we must get one thing settled. You are to refrain yourself from speaking English, should you speak it with your dialect you will be discovered on sight," Sebastian began.

Grell leaned against the table and rested his head into his arms. "That seems to be an obvious fact. I'm in disguise, I'm not an idiot."

"Sometimes I doubt what you just said."

"Shut up."

The clinks of pots were heard, water was poured, Grell watched him from his lopsided view.

"I will ask you once more, why are you here?"

Grell brushed a strand of hair away from his eyes as he rubbed them with a groan. "I'm here under the investigation of a Shinigami named Davis Harvey and also the usual job of reaping those on to the Death Ledger. Specifics of his work here are very sketchy and he never filed in proper reports as this was a long term mission. I spent a quick time in the Berlin Division trying to see if he had anything sent there by chance but, having never submitted a single sheet, not even letters to his wife, there was nothing to begin with. I find it odd, personally, I am quite lazy with my work but one can never be too careful away from home.

"Harvey was, as everyone said, an Officer to our Dispatch that was dedicated. The only way for me to go about and solve his psychotic breakdown is by picking up any context clues, it's sort of like a murder mystery so to say. From what I can gather, the infamous SS Officer named Rolf Schock has been missing for over a week; that was around the same time Harvey came back to London in a complete wreck. Missing without leaving a request to dismiss himself can only lead me to thinking that he was involved with Schock, but who am I kidding? I never met Harvey in my entire life, how do they expect me to go about this place without knowing who he is -or was- to begin with?"

Sebastian had added the tea leaves into the netting to distill it, he covered it and looked at his watch to keep time. He made eye contact with Grell, calmly, and suggested,"Detectives solve cases without knowing the persona of their victims, you said it yourself that you are going to search for context clues about this Harvey. Surely you have made some progress in guessing the connection."

"Quite, but I must ask, have Schock's possessions been thrown out yet? I'd like to see who he was."

"Hm, I believe that they throw away any Shultzstraffel's items should he suddenly leave without order. Again, we are under a legalistic government and the only things needed are the military and agriculture; should one leave, another will replace him to ensure that the machine continues on. If you want to know his personality, you should speak with the prisoners and see what they say, if they are willing to talk that is."

Grell murmured,"Prisoners don't talk in the sight of an enemy, plus, the treatment I have seen is enough to convince me that they can't speak at all."

"Then Harvey? I must admit to you, there is no one in the staff, of any kind, to carry that name of Davis Harvey, he may have used an alias though him being Schock would be probable."

"Are you suggesting that they are the same man?" Grell asked, perking up at excitement. "I doubt it, they have a profile of him and he spoke English and Polish. It makes sense though since Auschwitz is part of an annexed Poland but the Administration should have considered the enemy to be German, Harvey was a very poor choice *1."

"We have Polish prisoners here, starting your search would be perfect if you could speak to them. Again, they must be willing to talk to you." The demon removed the cover and prepared the tea once more, this time, for consumption. He had a teapot ready and teacups set before Grell; he poured the boiling beverage into each and settled the teapot down next to Grell's hand. Grell sat up properly and immediately drank the weak flavored liquid, it was soothing to him.

Sebastian sat across from him. "No one speaks Polish here either; there's no need for interpreters when you have a gun. I suppose that poses a challenge to you."

"A pain nonetheless but they were smart to send me this time," Grell said after swallowing. There was cookies produced at the end of the table near the radio, he took one and nibbled a piece to taste it. "Why're you willing to help me? With you as a demon, shouldn't it be your nature to kill me to ensure you have an unlimited food source to yourself and that brat of yours?"

The former butler removed his gloves and set them down so that he may take a magazine to read. He answered,"Killing you would bring an entire Division from your world down here to Germany, I'd rather not have that especially since you're running an investigation. Isn't it better to have only one Shinigami here and give him souls to reap than to have him dead and attracting more to prevent us from eating? I may be as close to an animal by nature but I'm not a stupid, tetchy beast that consumes anything so fatuously. Neither is my Lord."

Grell smiled. Although Sebastian drugged him into telling him everything he knew about Harvey, he was glad that he had someone to aid him along in his assignment. He would be damned if that brat had ordered Sebastian to kill him upon sight but, with the rarity of an endless resource, this was a lucky day that Grell could live and work harmoniously with the demon.

"Smart."

"How about your own occupation of reaping souls?"

"Well, tell me the average death toll here and I can answer," Grell said it as though it was rather simple question. Sebastian looked thoughtful for a moment, adding numbers quickly in his mind and averaging them. It was only a quick moment before he went back to reading his magazine.

"I would say about 2,000 per day. But there will be more Jews coming soon," he estimated with a sigh.

"The HMS Titanic had over a thousand, I needed the extra hand to cover over a thousand passengers. I'm on my own here, you can consume souls and I can reap. Due to this amount and the circumstances of myself being the only Shinigami posted here at this camp specifically, I can let a few hundred or so souls slide here and there for the sake of my sanity. The Administration gave me orders to do what I can to reap and solve so this seems to be the most logical thing to do. The names were piling up weeks before, I can feel it, so I suppose I can allow you to take the ones I can't handle."

He gave Sebastian a wink as the demon nodded. "It'll be payment in exchange for my help to you. I see no flaws in this bargain."

"Good, I was planning on letting demons have their way with some of the souls that are unattainable for myself. This assignment wouldn't be so bad after all since I have you with me, hm?"

"Unfortunately," Sebastian said.

Grell pouted slightly and finished his tea. He stared at Sebastian and, having sitting in place for so long, he had grown bored but he was slightly tired of his travels. Even with the nap on the train, he was still slightly drowsy. "Would it be alright for me to sleep?"

"Not yet, but we can get you coffee in the staff lounge down stairs if you need a pick-me-up."

"I would love that more than tea, no offense but it made me a bit drowsy." He yawned though he covered his mouth out of habit. Sebastian got up and so did Grell, they fetched their hats and wore them to fit into the standard. "After coffee, where do we go?"

They walked out of the door and into the hall where Sebastian explained the day's activities.

"We shall go to see the SS-Hauptsturmführer*2 first so that you will be recognized as being here, then after that, I'll give you a tour of the SS Barracks. After you have settled in in the amount of time the SS-Hauptsturmführer gives you, you will be given assignments to work as your occupation. Standard procedures are what made the Nazis so successful in organization."

* * *

A/N: I'm really enjoying writing this.

References/Translation:

*1 Parts of Poland were annexed into Germany during the Acts of Aggression in 1939 before World War II. Auschwitz was located in a Polish territory and was originally a Polish concentration camp to maintain Polish prisoners of war. Deported Jews begin arrived during the time this story takes place.  
*2 SS-Head Storm Leader. Rank equivalent to Captain.

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	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

* * *

"Seems similar to our government at home," Grell commented as they traveled down the corridor.

He noticed that Sebastian was eying him in a way that one would be suspicious of the other. Grell's brows furrowed at the realization, for that was a look William used to give out before hitting him in order for Grell get "get back in line," he hated that and was thankful it stopped.

"Are you going to stare at me all day? It's not like I can kill you out in the open, we need one another for this camp."

They made it to the stairs and Sebastian lowered his voice,"I can't help but wonder if your powers are limited by your disguise. "

"Oh, they are, quite a bit actually. In this form, I'm technically a human but I can still see Cinematic Records and reap when needed. The thing is, my body won't be able to handle what I normally can take on as a Shinigami; I'll be as vulnerable as a human." Grell thought for a moment to pick his words carefully. "For one instance, I can't heal as efficiently and as fast as my immortal body could normally do. I have to be careful in what I do to myself, and if I'm cornered by a demon, you can say it's the end of me."

"So you're a human."

"In body, yes. This conceals my spirit and my power, it prevents demons from recognizing me too easily unless they look into my eyes closely. Luckily, only you have seen me in this form so I'm not so worried."

He honestly wasn't worried. That little chat in their room assured Grell that Sebastian had no intention to betray; they truly need one another to get through this. While Grell was backed by an entire Dispatch Society, Sebastian was only by himself and served as one that could take those Grell was unable to reap on time. He wondered if there were Shinigami at the other portions of Auschwitz, he can't solely be the only one residing here; it would be impossible to reap so many in such a small amount of time.

"Never let your guard down, Grell," Sebastian warned him, at least the man had the decency to be concerned,"your eyes are what give you away."

"Indeed, but it takes a while for those to take a long look."

Once they had reached the bottom floor, the young boy from earlier was sitting at the reception desk, bored beyond his mind. His tan uniform suggested him to be part of the Hitler Youth organization. There were a few sheets of paper on the desk, he seemed to be sorting through them so idly. At the sight of Sebastian and Grell, the boy hopped off the stool and stood at formation as if it were second nature. He saluted them, Sebastian gave him the nod to relax and the boy did so, returning to his chair with only a third of the energy.

"That's our, you can say, cabin boy. Every child that is brought here for training, when they are of their last year before promotion to Shultzstraffel; you can only learn from the best they say," Sebastian quoted with a longing sigh,"birds of a feather flock together."

"He looks so familiar," Grell bluntly stated when they were outside of the building. Sebastian closed the door behind them. "It's like I've seen him before..."

"His name is Alois Trancy."

Grell's eyes were wide in surprise, he was ready to go back in there to have another peek but the other man's hand grasped at his shoulder to prevent him from doing so. Knowing that it would blow his cover, Grell complied to conversing with the blond boy at an appropriate time.

The sun was slowly rising, causing shadows to cover the street between the buildings. While they were in the shade, it was starting to grow hotter than earlier, summers were dreadfully hot and Grell simply hated the heat. He racked his mind, mulling over memories of that boy and the whole fiasco of souls disappearing and Ciel turning into a demon. Certainly the boy Alois could be a reincarnation of some sort, but he had a butler with him; Grell blinked hard in a vain attempt to remember.

"What is he doing here, all alive and well? Being a little Nazi at that, do you know why?"

Sebastian shrugged, replying,"Not yet but my Lord and I are trying to figure out how he came back, you can say that is one of our reasons for being here. That and the endless innocent souls here."

The walk continued on with a turn around the corner. A few hundred feet ahead was a rather impressive building, one that was much more decorated than the Barracks. With an open courtyard and several trees planted parallel along the way, it gave a peaceful setting to the camp. A flag pole was in the center of it all and a group of SS were standing at attention to the process of raising the Nazi flag. "Then what about his butler? I never knew what happened to him, in fact, I don't even know the demon's name."

"This may as well shock you but the name was Claude Faustus, and it still is," Sebastian revealed to him,"again, they have never seen you in this disguise so they don't know exactly who you are, nor even know your name if you never told it to them."

"I know I told Alois but I hope he had forgotten what it was," Grell murmured,"Sebastian, how long will the drug work? I can't go about to the Captain and start spilling out to him that I'm a Shinigami."

"Correct, and I no longer need to ask you anything else." He went to his pocket and gave a vial to him. "Drink it, it'll reverse the effects and leave you to say what you need."

Grell popped open the stopper and drank it quickly so that no one would mistaken it for liquor. He handed it back to Sebastian and swallowed the bitter taste, he frowned and his lips curled in disapproval. He was not one to enjoy the taste of any sort of medication but fought over the bitterness for the needs of his own body; he had to get used to taking such disgusting things now that he is as vulnerable as a human.

They entered the administration building, which was only a bit wider than the barracks, and, in silence, went on for a while before arriving at the office of the Captain, the SS-Hauptsturmführer. Sebastian knocked on the door and the reply of a grisly voice emanated from within the room.

"Tragen Sie ein." *1

Sebastian opened the door and allowed Grell to go in first.

It was rather spacious, it remind Grell of William's organized office though there was color to it. With dark, wooden floors and two flags behind the grand desk and settled at the window, Grell could say that it truly belonged to a man of high rank. Sitting in a leather recliner was the Captain himself; a muscular, tall man that looked as though he could flip the table without an ease was watching Grell like an eagle would to a hare. A bristled brown mustache and a few stubble hairs told Grell that he has been neglecting to shave, he was under some sort of stress that Grell could no place a finger on.

But then Grell great notice of an SS-Officer (in truth, he hadn't learned the ranks yet so he assumed everyone, including himself to be an Officer due to know the only other rank besides Dispatcher was Officer in terms of the Shinigami Realm) standing at the Captain's right at perfect ease. The black uniform, the hair covered by the hat, those golden eyes; they were what made up Claude Faustus, Grell gave a soft glare at him though Sebastian voice broke the impeding tension.

"Heil, mein Führer!" *2

As customary, the duo saluted him, though they did the subtle one in which their fingertips went to the visor of their hats. At the approving nod, Sebastian left to be at the Captain's side, leaving Grell to stand in the middle of the room. The Captain assessed Grell through his rounded glasses for a moment, trying to understand Grell's persona.

"Speak out your name and rank," the Captain said, his German slightly ruffled with an accent, indicating that he originated from the countryside,"then about yourself."

Grell thought for a moment, quickly going over the introduction and story he developed when he was preparing his leave from London. He took a deep breath and fed him an entertaining war tale of himself.

"Grell Sutcliff, mein Herr, I am a Schultzstraffel-Standartenjunker from the SS Cavalry Brigade; I was promoted as such a year ago after Operation Barbarossa but was put out of commission due to taking shrapnel to the knee. Doctors were able to save my leg in time but the healing forced me to reside in Berlin in order to ensure I could ride, or at least walk, once more. By this time, the SS Cavalry Brigrade disbanded to become the 8th SS Cavalry Division, or Florian Geyer, I was relocated here, as there was an opening for a Standartenjunker, and now await for your command."

He said it so calmly, the Captain nodded in interest and understanding. He spoke deeply,"So you professionalize in patrol?"

"Yes, and also mechanics." That was truthful though. During the turn of the century, Grell picked up a penchant for the constantly mutable technology of the human race. Theoretically, he could operate a vehicle but he had never done so.

"Very good. As you know, I am the Hauptmann *3 of Birkenau, Dietrich Metzger; you will address me as Captain for the most part. I take well for all my men here and believe that they should be put in places where they would work well with. You will serve directly under either of my Obersturmführers*4, both Faustus and Dämon*5 will give you your assignments. In your profession, you will most likely be taken out to patrol Birkenau or overseeing the work of the prisoners, it varies and gives our men a bit of something new."

Dietrich cleared his throat and licked his lips, then gave a signal to Sebastian to hand him a folder that had produced out of thin air behind the man. He then gestured for Grell to approach and sit across from him in a chair pulled out by Claude when the man left his post.

"This is only the terms and conditions, the paperwork and registration means that you have fully been assigned to this facility and are now here. Usual procedures and all that, tiring, isn't it?" The man seemed to have a bit of a dry humor to him, Grell quickly read through the papers. He sighed each document carefully, trying to learn the "human" doctrines of coordination to this camp. He had to fit in, there were standards after all.

"Ja," Grell replied. He was nearly done.

"I trust that Faustus gave you your key and access cards," Dietrich said.

"Ja."

"Then you are done. The reports of you have arrived beforehand so assessing you any further would be bit tedious to me. Dämon, Sutcliff ist Ihre Verantwortung für die Zwischenzeit, bis ich Anderen weise sage. Zeigen Sie ihn um den Lager und vergewissern Sie sich, dass er zu den Regeln gewöhnt wird, werde ich Sie eine Woche für Sie geben, ihn auszubilden. " *6

Grell heard Sebastian reply without hesitation as he handed Dietrich the papers. He noticed that the man had a hook for a left hand. Perhaps that was why he seemed to hold pity for Grell after hearing his story. Staring at the hand, he began to realize that the man was a human unknowingly surrounded by creatures of myth. It was ironic, though he didn't seem to mind; he was weary but smiled as if he were enjoying the best life could give him.

It dawned on Grell that, upon learning Sebastian was at the rank of Obersturmführer, both of the demons were competing with one another.

_So it's all a dangerous game that Harvey caught himself between these two._

The Captain got up, as did Grell, and they shook with their right hands. "It was a pleasure acquainting with you, Sutcliff."

"As is with you, Captain," Grell said, pulling his hand away.

-...-

"That went well," Grell said, arms coming up and resting his head against them as he and Sebastian made their way for the Barracks.

"Yes, but since you set up yourself as a cavalryman you may end up patrolling all of Auschwitz than Birkenau individually. I can imagine that it will cause you a bit of an issue in your investigation and reaping," Sebastian pointed out,"how ever in the world did you come up with a background like_ that_? Common sense says that few die out in the labor fields than here. "

Grell had realized his mistake for this and fumed,"I watched too much of Operation Barbarossa, it was the only one I knew so much about besides the Blitz in London. I never gotten interested in this whole war until now."

"I suppose I can arrange for you to patrol within the premises but I can't promise it. The orders are given to me, I simply make it happen by assigning whoever is appropriate to do so. In your coming week after this, I can only control so much of your schedule until Claude can take over for you. As mentioned by the Captain, Birkenau works on shifts to prevent the guards from becoming bored."

Relieved at this, Grell smiled boardly. "Thank you, Sebastian."

* * *

A/N: I did some changes to Grell's fake background in chapter 1. He "participated" in Operation Barbarossa. As a warning, I will be doing constant modifications to make this historically accurate as possible.

*1 Enter  
*2 Hail, my leader  
*3 Captain  
*4 First Lieutenants  
*5 Demon  
*6 Dämon, Sutcliff is your responsibility for the meantime until I say other wise. Show him around the camp and make sure he is accustomed to the rules, I will give you a week for you to train him.

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	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

* * *

The following days after registering himself to Birkenau were filled with redundant tours of the SS Barracks and the Administration Offices.

Grell was taught where the communications were, storage equipment and records, places to turn in documents of field reports or other reflections, and also the variety of places that the guards had taken breaks. The camp had a mess hall where breakfast was heartily served by a gruff chef and the linens and clothes were washed by the serving women who had volunteered from neighboring towns of Auschwitz. He learned the location of the infirmary but the doctor was out the day he and Sebastian came to visit.

He found that after gaining a certain number of hours worth of patrolling or operating as a ward, he would be given privileges to travel out of the camp itself and assort himself to the towns surrounding the area. It was revealed to him one evening when Sebastian had decided to up and leave before Grell's curfew; speaking of such, the man was barely in their room at night, Grell guessed that it was for whatever his Master ordered him or that he was given a night shift. Seldom was Sebastian ever at rest.

The last few days of his settling in composed of learning the different parts of the camp while gaining a bit of history lesson of the War.

There was even training in handling, branding, disposing, and even cremating the enslaved humans.

His reactions to the prisoners were much more stronger than to the history but Sebastian insisted that constant exposure would ensure the lessening of sensitivity to such sights.

"It'll aid you into reaping them properly," Sebastian said pleasantly while they were overlooking the men that were severely emaciated.

By this point, the looks were not as shocking to him but he gagged slightly in his mind,"...feels like I'm learning how to be Death again."

"The Young Master wasn't so pleased about this either but there's just so much to consume, it's simply tempting."

And the location of Ciel was never mentioned to Grell, only tidbits of references and nostalgic sighs were the only inklings of him. Learning about Ciel's position was just as elusive as Harvey. It was only through subtle hints of Rolf's existence, which were just fragments, that Grell could hear anything about the man. He had made up his mind that both Harvey and Rolf were just as intertwined by fate but the knowledge of how was simply too evasive for Grell to figure out.

Throughout his long life, Grell had the habit of writing in a journal; typically he would take his free time to write whatever he could think about under the impression that it would one day be published under a pen name of sorts. For every chance he had, he would take it out from a few, loose floorboards when Sebastian wasn't present and write whatever he could. Shinigami had no solid souls (like humans and demons) but a spiritual essence that allowed them to live as celestial beings; a Cinematic Record was existent for them but Grell was one who savored sentimental feelings. The use of his journal, at this time, was not for personal uses but for records of whatever he could find out about Rolf.

He swore that he could be researching more on the missing Nazi than the Shinigami but there was no other lead to take in.

They were connected at some point.

-...-

He awoke one Monday to Sebastian's foot kicking the corner of Grell's bed, it was the start of his job as an Officer for acting as a warden of sorts. Before Grell could properly get up, he lifted his head at the sound of the door slamming into the frame. He grumbled, severely irate by the sunlight pouring directly onto his face; the bastard opened the curtains. Perfect.

One moment he was washing his face, the next, he was stumbling down the stairs.

Alois wasn't at the front desk, it was probably because of it being an ungodly hour of the morning. Summer days always started early, he hated the daylight savings that the Nazis had suddenly practiced so diligently. Grell was thankful for finding a mug of coffee at Alois's place, he took it, knowing it was meant for him. He drank it quickly, taking in a large gulp, and walked out, adjusting his hat and fixing his bow behind his head. Sebastian was outside, waiting for him

It was out of routine that Sebastian and Grell would meet before the entrance of their living quarters.

"Was it necessary for you to open the curtains?" Grell complained softly when Sebastian began to walk, Grell followed suit.

"I'm only helping you fit in," Sebastian stated as if he were the expert in things. Grell had to admit, grudgingly, that Sebastian was the better actor against humans; he played the role of a perfect butler all too well and was probably the most knowledgeable about human behavior than most demons that don't opt for contracts with desperate souls.

Grell huffed to himself and pouted, shoulders slanting back to show his displeasure as they walked through the Barracks that had been alive before they were so early in the morning. Soldiers were already up and doing whatever drills or morning routines they had for the day. Luckily, at his given rank, Grell had the ability to order anyone to a certain extent and held just about half of the respect Sebastian gained.

"So what's my first job?"

Sebastian clucked his tongue. "Overseeing the labor at a rock query. Luckily, it's my job to supervise you and others."

They walked on, some saluting instantly at Sebastian by the time they reached the gate.

A morning walk down the street and passed the women's area had landed them with the Men's Camp. Grell instantly knew what to do and, after Sebastian handed him a ring of keys, went to the nearest gate where a watch tower was built to. He took the lock and undid it so that he, alone, was in the compound.

Grell was greeted by a three fellow Standartenjunker and a springy Unterscharführer*1 that had finished cuffing the last man. In total, there were twenty men that were fettered to one another in this chain gang; Grell went to several, taking some steel cuffs and tugging at them to ensure that they were secure.

"Guten Morgen. Sie sind bereit für die Frage so ist „sanft" mit ihnen," said one of the Officers, saluting Grell.

"We'll see about that," Grell answered teasingly.

At one man, Grell jolted his hand a bit too harshly, causing the prisoner to stumble forward and take those connected with him to fall as well.

In an instant, one of the Officers, a brawny man with a fierce persona, shouted at the three men to get up, he threatened to hit them and Grell stood aside with knowing that it was best to let them suffer. They attempted to get up several times and, aided by others, managed to get to their bony feet.

At the sound of a whip and with Grell at the head, he lead them out of the small compound and into the larger area where they were marched towards the far end of Birkenau. There was a large set of gates that had heavily armed guards posted all around it, patrolling it and regulating whoever came and left the premises. Grell and his fellow men showed their pass cards and were allowed through with the laborers.

Beyond the gray walls was the outside. A field of green seemed to be a lift to the prisoners spirits as they seemed to enjoy their time outside, even if it meant laboring in the heat that would soon come.

Grell had met up with Sebastian at the other side and, following procedures, walked about ten feet parallel from him; both were leading the prisoners in a straight line down the cobblestone road that split into various other paths meant for the myriad of labor areas. They took the one that lead West and eventually made it to a rock query where there were large rocks acting as natural fences. One by one, with the chains having the ability to split off into groups of five, the SS Officers and Sergeants took their own batches and disappeared amongst the rock formations; Sebastian was close-by and was watching everyone.

Grell was left with the four Jews that looked like they were on the verge of collapsing but he lead them, taking one of them by the shoulder and shoving him with enough force to get him moving. They didn't groan but he could see their sullen eyes simply begging for him to end them.

It reminded Grell that he may as well reap them when he was given the chance.

-...-

Hours upon hours of watching the men labor well into noon had bore Grell into oblivion.

He expected a concentration camp to be fun with the creativeness of human destruction but here he was, watching pathetic humans rot away in their living state.

Thirsty, Grell took out his flask of water and drank from it to taunt them. It was the only source of entertainment at the moment. While it may have been cruel, it was fun having this sort of power. He wondered if William ever relished the amount of influence he had over workers. The watch upon his wrist told him that it was about half passed noon, he noticed that it was getting close to his shift ending.

"This is rather tiresome," he muttered as a prisoner hammered away at a boulder with his sledge hammer. As though he had gained the most brilliant idea, the prisoner lifted his tool and turned it into a weapon against his friends; Grell had no idea but he guessed it was out of mercy. Making sure that he was in a secluded area where no one would see them, Grell summoned his chainsaw and Death Ledger, readying himself to reap. His chainsaw roared to life after he confirmed to himself that these were scheduled deaths.

He took care of the three that had died from the blunt force to their heads but what was left was the man that had killed them.

The sight of the Shinigami's chainsaw made him drop the sledgehammer out of fear knowing that he was going to be slaughtered alive right then and there without a gun to end him quickly enough. He shouted out,"Azrael, save me!"

Grell raised the chainsaw, this man would die as well from the heat due to poor hydration and lack of rest. As if calculating the exact time down to the last second, the bald prisoner dropped to the ground convulsing and then growing limp. Grell brought the rotating blades upon his chest and, along with the three others, quickly analyzed their Cinematic Records while allowing his death scythe to absorb their souls.

"All four of them grew up together," Grell stated so carelessly. When he was done, he gathered what he had and sent away his death scythe and book. He checked for their tattooed numbers and took out a pocket book to record their deaths and events that happened so that he could file a report. He scratched in the last of the names and began to make his way to where the entrance of the query was.

He met up with the same Officer that had yelled at the prisoners earlier that morning.

"Yours died on you?" He said between his teeth. He offered a cigarette and Grell obliged, taking it and letting another man light it.

After drawing and exhaling the smoke, Grell admitted,"Yeah, dropped dead. Probably better if we give them food and water sometimes."

"Too much to feed and too little to go around. Besides, it's normal for them to die, that's what a death camp is."

-...-

He was cleared for the day and was finishing up his dinner at the mess hall when night rolled by. He enjoyed himself to poached salmon and some red wine to go along with it. It was nostalgic to taste these things, it reminded him of England, back when it was in its prime of power. As he finished the last of his glass, he had a hand tap his shoulder, he looked up from his empty plate and turned to see Sebastian. Grell took the signal and got up, taking his coat and hat from the coat rack of the mess hall.

They were going up the street, Grell taking a firm grasp on Sebastian for he had a bit too much wine for the night; his balance was compromised.

"I take that your day was enjoyable," Sebastian said, Grell nodded sleepily.

No one was out for the night, they were the only ones at this time for everyone else was hanging in the bar or guarding. Grell clung to his shoulder, just like he did at the church all those years ago. He closed his eyes and let Sebastian take him.

"Fairly, I got to reap for the first time in over a month, it was a bit exciting but rather interesting. A prisoner screamed out,_'Azrael, save me!'_ rather than for God or Yahweh or whoever they worship," Grell stated,"do you know what that means?"

Sebastian shook his head and answered,"No, but I doubt you'll be able to find out what he meant." Grell's brow furrowed and he opened his eyes to look up at Sebastian. The man was looking ahead of him. "Grell, someone saw you reap out there at the query."

At the sound of that revelation, Grell's head snapped up.

_What? I was sure I was alone with them!_

* * *

References/Translation:

*1 Under Company Leader (Sergeant)  
*2 Good morning. They are ready for the query so do be "gentle" with them.

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	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

* * *

Grell's lips smacked against one another dumbly. The effect of the alcohol was suddenly gone as his mind went into a full-blown panic. "Someone? Who? Tell me! Say it!"

Even with the man's identity, Grell had no idea how to handle it. He released Sebastian and began to bounce all over the place, trying to get his attention. When Sebastian paid little to him, Grell walked calmly by his side in cognition; he was contemplating what to do about this. He could come after the witness if it were a prisoner, one prisoner missing will be no different than a slaughterhouse letting one bull get away. If the witness were to be part of the Shultzstraffel, complications would rise and Grell would be forced to kill him and abandon the mission altogether.

Sebastian was composed and silent, he was still so when they reached their living quarters. They were in their room, Sebastian had just locked the door.

After what seemed to be a century the First Lieutenant instructed him,"If you remain silent and act as though it were a normal night then I will tell you."

Grell hesitantly took off his hat and coat, they went to the coat rack while he removed his bow. His fair flowed like a waterfall and he proceeded towards his wardrobe while undoing his tie, then he unbuttoned his white shirt. It was his normal habit, which had developed the passed few days, to remove everything down to his wife beater and slacks.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sebastian was kneeling over a chest at the foot of his own bed. He opened it with a key kept in his breast pocket and began to rummage through it, still in uniform. Grell tucked his military boots into the floor of his closet and grabbed a white, night dress (he was lucky it was still socially acceptable to wear in bed) to take with him to the bathroom. After closing the door, he turned to look at himself in the mirror.

It has only been thirty minutes since his glass of wine but he was still under the effects. Slight loss of balance and barely enough sense to make out what he was grabbing, he took the brush at the edge of the sink and ran the teeth through his hair, turning it from mousy, boring brown to a stunning crimson wave that contrasted his shirt. Remembering his clothes, he placed the brush down after finishing up for about half an hour's worth of brushing only half of his thick mane; he quickly, and clumsily, got out of the rest of uniform and redressed himself with the dress. It was simple and plain without designs, he wished it had laces at least but it didn't.

Once he felt he was ready, he washed his face to free himself of the dirt and then walked out of the bathroom with the brush at hand but, much to his horror, he was held at gunpoint by Sebastian.

Grell was about to open his mouth to shout for help but then he heard the safety click unlocked and his voice was strangled within his mouth. His hands went up into the air, his brush dropped to the floor, clattering against the wood. In this body, any form of serious injury can mortally wound him; sure, his hair had returned to normal but it was his powers that were temporarily disabled for the duration of being in Auschwitz. He could quickly revert his soul in the blink of an eye but other demons would instantly sense his presence and ruin his job.

For the first time, Grell feared the demon.

His heart felt as though it were falling off the side of a plane and dropping thousands of feet to the ground, beating erratically until it would simply burst from the change in altitude. He hoped that Sebastian could feel his palpitation in the air; whatever message Sebastian was trying to get across, Grell was willing to listen.

With eyes pleading for Sebastian to say something, the demon gave him a warm smile and withdrew the gun, taking it to his side. Grell's hands were still up, he was better off not risking it. A demon was a demon after all.

As if it were a simple joke, Sebastian chuckled as though it were from one friend to another. He said,"It was I who saw you reap. And lucky you were. Your death scythe generated so much noise. Would it had been the woods and labor with lumber there, the sound may have been appropriate but it was simply out of place at the query. I had to make excuses for you when the others began to ask what the racket was all about."

Grell's mind took a minute to process the thoughts, his arms went down and he cautiously sidled towards his bed in need of the comfort and safety it could offer. The brushed laid forgotten on the floor but Sebastian picked it up and dropped it into Grell's lap but the redhead flinched. His mind spun. So Sebastian had seen him but discovered him through sound. What happened had happened, Grell only knew that the demon threatened him as if he were an animal.

"I...don't know what to say," Grell stated with a shaking voice. He was afraid that Sebastian may turn on him, after all, the man was still fiddling with the gun. For all he could bet, the damn thing might as well be loaded.

Sebastian dragged the chair from Grell's desk over in front of Grell and sat down in front of him, legs spread and him bent with the gun in hand. "It's expected. Please do not fret over the gun, I simply needed your full attention."

"Sebastian, you're waving the damn thing around like a toy! _Anyone_ would be scared for their life!" Grell wanted the man to be rid of the potentially dangerous weapon. "Put it away!"

"Why? I'm giving it to you."

And Grell was dumbfounded. Sebastian took the gun and presented it to him. Grell sat there on his mattress, eyes glued to the silver metal. Grell didn't bother to reach his hand over to touch it. He hated the loud sound of these infernal things and would rather take the roar of his chainsaw any day. Besides, he had little to no knowledge of firearms; he preferred melee over ranged, he would be able to see things up close and personal. Sebastian noticed the silent rejection and pressed on, making the gun go closer to Grell's lap.

Grell had the urge to back away.

"Please, dear, I can't take that," Grell said. It was the first gift the former heartthrob was giving to him but it came in form of something he disliked.

It was one of the guns he would see a Nazi have at his belt.

The gleaming barrel was at four and a half inches with the caliber at nine millimeters. Unlike most guns, it had what looked like ivory on its handle. He noticed an insignia, though very small and served as a cover plate latch; it was the insignia of the Shinigami Dispatch Society. It took him another moment to realize that it was property of Dispatchers. In the instant, he took it though he nearly dropped it at the sheer size of its weight.

"Where did you get this?" Grell demanded, fear and drunkenness gone and replaced with ferocity.

Sebastian was the one to raise his hands up. "During my night outings, I have a tendency to conduct my own searches. I found this in Claude's room right before Rolf disappeared. Can you guess that it was from...Harvey, yes?"

At a moment, Grell deeply thought about it. Claude was a suspicious character but Sebastian was equally as well, even if he did cover up his little incident with the chainsaw. Paranoid, he questioned,"I can be assured that it's from Harvey but how do I know you didn't nicked it off of Harvey before driving him insane? Maybe had the gall to use it against Rolf too."

Sebastian smiled once more. "Now, now, Grell, if I knew its real whereabouts and origins I would have told you the moment you mentioned Harvey."

_True, true._

"...alright, then, I suppose so."

"I give you a clue and you still suspect me," Sebastian sighed,"whatever should I do to get you to trust me?"

Grell shook his head, not in denial but to check if he heard him correctly.

Like liquor distilled to give a mellow taste that was bittersweet, the night had only gotten more confusing than ever. Grell was large for innuendos, his mind, slightly intoxicated, had thought of the most naughtiest response. _You could fuck the trust out of me._

And, much to his horror, the response rolled off of his tongue. "Fuck the trust out of me."

_Damn alcohol._

Sebastian's eyes found his and, instantly, Grell melted on his spot.

"Is that what it will take? One night of pleasure to prove myself seems to be a bit too easy," Sebastian said as if trying to gloat about his sexual prowess. Grell gently bit his lip and, keeping his eyes on Sebastian, managed to lean towards his night stand and place the gun there gently but within arms reach in case anything went wrong. The temptation of Sebastian before him, actually consenting to Grell's unintended invitation, was too much to resist.

He looked away, towards the nightstand, to think of how to approach this. Sebastian hadn't done anything out of place and, while he may as well be risking his life, there wasn't, in his personal opinion, a reason to not trust him. The thought of bodies, hot and sweaty, sliding along one another by skin had instantly gotten him blushing; William wouldn't know, he simply can't, he was a thousand miles away from home without a proper connection or way of communication. It was a one night and one time thing only, Grell had brought the situation upon himself, he may as well have a bit of relief from his burden of being disguised for so long.

As if it were magic, all of the lights went off in their room.

It was dark, and Grell had the poorest eyes with the sudden change of lighting. Temporarily blinded in the pitch of black, he was confused. Perhaps, without touching, Sebastian had seduced him through his mind and killed him right on the spot.

"Sebasssstian," Grell slurred gently, wanting to know where he was and if he were part of the living.

He felt a hand push him onto the bed with another gathering up his feet and lifting is legs up onto the mattress. He was forced to turn and was on his back, he was facing the ceiling. If there were colors, Grell was sure that he would have seen them whirl about too rapidly. His mind failed to focus on anything but the sudden weight upon him, pinning him down, holding him in place. A burst of heat coursed through him.

Through the thin fabric of his dress, Grell could feel the abrasive slacks pressing against his legs, the blunt of a belt and medals against his torso, and finally the warmth of the owner of it all upon him.

If Grell could see that pale face, there would have been a smirk of some sort upon it. He imagined it being there. Never, in another time, would Sebastian had even done this despite the numerous requests to bed with him; this may have been a once in a lifetime chance but, knowing demons, lust was something they perfected themselves in so, while the two of them silently agreed for it to be a one night stand, there were more to come in the distant future.

He felt breath of humid air against his ear and the bed dipping at his head, Sebastian was looming over him, hotly whispering,"We can make this more than one night," while taking one of his hands and bringing it to Grell's side to caress him. They weren't going slow but taking it fast, one thing that Grell had always fantasized with William. He sometimes wished he would be roughened up.

"Hnmmm," Grell replied, bringing his legs up; his dress fell down his thighs as he wrapped himself around Sebastian's waist. He wore no undergarments for the day but wasn't suspecting this to happen. His once limp length was growing stiff, just a bit, at the sudden surge of anxiety and arousal. Experimentally, he pressed himself against Sebastian and, though he brushed himself against the coolness of the belt, he felt a sensual response with the man pressing along with the gently roll of Grell's hips. "God knows how long I'll be here, I might as well make good time of it..."

Sebastian let a throaty groan in agreement.

It may as well just be sex but it was something nonetheless.

Grell was thankful for flattening his teeth for tonight, for Sebastian had brought lips to him; overwhelming feelings flooded into the redhead's mind as his hands went to wrap around his neck and bring him closer. Hands tangling in his hair, his fingers pushed under those thick locks and shoved the hat off of his head. It must have rolled to the edge and then fallen to flow, along with Grell's hair brush, to be abandoned for the evening. Eyes closing, Grell gently arched his back towards Sebastian while his legs wound tighter to pull him closer.

Not breaking their locked lips, Sebastian's hand moved between the two and Grell took the cue to release Sebastian's waist so that he may undo the belt, fly and button to his black slacks. Grell's bottom rested against the bed but every time he felt Sebastian's gloved hand or sleeve brush against his now aching member, he gasped with anticipation after releasing Sebastian's lips,"Ahn, don't take too long."

Without having to have the lights on, Grell was intoxicated by a new drug: Sebastian.

"You're a very impatient person, aren't you?" That was an obvious question but one asked so teasingly, it made Grell even hotter and bothered deeply. Sebastian's hand suddenly took a hold of it and the coolness of his leather skin sent shivers of pleasure up Grell's spine. He moaned, but tried to do so quietly as to not disturb anyone or alerting anyone of their late night activity.

In consternation, Sebastian removed his hand and the sound of a glove being snapped off of a hand was heard. Grell began to buck his hips upwards for that almost heavenly touch to come back and last more than a brief moment but, instead, received a blunt head pressing against his own. Grell murmured in approval of the size and shape, for he could clearly feel the hardness's weight and length against his own. Sebastian's hands wrapped around both of them and gently massage them against one another.

Grell's eyes rolled back and his legs bound around Sebastian's waist once more. "Ah! S-Sebastian!"

"Shush, or we'll both be caught," Sebastian rasped with lust-laced words. Grell nodded and their lips connected once more, briefly, as a thumb brushed against their tips to tease one another for a second before feverishly going back down and pumping their lengths together once more.

Waves of pleasure coursed through his body, a pressure was building within his stomach, it was nearly time for that release and his hips were thrusting wildly at random to Sebastian's strokes. Just as he was about to reach that peak of ecstasy, the sinful hand released them and Sebastian drew back. Grell groaned in disappointment once more as he reluctantly released Sebastian from his hold; he felt him get off of the bed and heard his boots pounding against the wooden floor across the room.

A few ruffling of clothes and another moment of anxiety built up within Grell as he waited. By now, the alcohol had vanished and he was glad that it had; he now had a better chance at remembering what is about to happen.

Within seconds, the bed dipped under him and the comforting weight returned. "If you moan, others will awaken."

The sucking sound of a bottle reached out to him as Sebastian spoke in sultry whispers,"Do you think that you can handle this without a sound?"

"...it depends on how good you said you are," Grell taunted him. But that was the wrong answer, a piece of silk with shoved into his mouth to ensure his sounds will be muffled. Grell was about to reach up to remove it but Sebastian caught him too fast; he was flipped onto his stomach with his rear in the air. Grell barely expected this but, for his sake and Sebastian's, he complied to having a piece of cloth wedged into his mouth. His hands gripped the sheets tightly, nervous for the next step.

A gloved hand returned to his length, stroking it firmly but not intensely enough to make him reach that high too quickly. His eyes welded themselves shut and his breathing hitched, the cloth made him salivate; he bit hard into it. Sebastian's other hand, the one free of a glove, let a finger go to his entrance and stroke it, gently coaxing the muscle to relax.

Years of this had taught Grell to mollify himself, it was only the suspense that made him a bit tight this time. The wet finger eventually prodded within him and Grell stifled down a satisfying groan at the feeling. To let Sebastian know he was more than willing, he pushed back slightly as a sign to hurry up. And it went across. Another finger was added and the pair of digits began to scissor their way within him, gently going in and out to stretch and relax his muscles. Simultaneously, Sebastian was stilling stroking him, Grell's eyes rolled back once more at the pleasure and he was too close to coming.

A third entered and teasingly stretched his walls apart before those fingers withdrew from him altogether. This time, Grell waited without complaint. As a result, Sebastian purred over him as he leaned over Grell's pale back,"Someone's learning..."

Grell stifled down a low groan but, just before he was about to be quiet, it increased in volume temporarily when he felt that blunt, utterly soaked head being guided into him. His entrance and walls expanded to accommodate Sebastian's magnificent length as he curved his back more from the sheer pain and felicity. Grell pushed against Sebastian, causing the lubrication to work even faster and allow the mass to enter him deeper.

Grell couldn't help but moan at this, it was simply too much to contain himself but, in response to that, Sebastian's hand slapped over one cheek; the pain was sharp and stung briefly, it wasn't one that you would give to tease but one to discipline. Grell gasped and but into the cloth, which has been drenched by now, as Sebastian took his time dominating him. They paused for a moment before Sebastian decided it was time to move, and he did, slowly for a few, gentle thrusts.

Each thrust was sensual, testing whether Grell could handle him but the redhead knew that he could take on anything. To beg him, without words, he met each thrust by leaning back but every time he done so, the tip of Sebastian's hardness would hit a spot in him that sent colors bursting into the darkness.

Taking on the conspicuous hint, the man above him obliged and began to move, his hips going against Grell hard enough to leave bruises. Sebastian stood on his knees for the first few moments but then resorted to leaning over Grell, chest pressing against the expanse of his back. With one hand wrapped around his waist, Sebastian had began to furiously fondle Grell with the tightening and stroking matching every thrust. Grell had given up on trying to keep in time with him, Sebastian had found a way to hit that pleasurable spot within him and there was nothing more Grell could do but grasp the sheets as though his life depended on it.

Sebastian's free hand brushed Grell's partially brushed hair out of the way so that his tongue could rove ever the crook of his neck. Grell swore he had bit a hole into the silk or tore the sheets from coming near to rapture. Sweat began to build between the two and the room grew much more heated than the summer day. A few tugs once in a while caused Grell to groan deeply, but he prayed that Sebastian didn't hear that.

Fortunately, he didn't.

The sound of their rapid breaths and skin being brushed over by slacks was all they could hear. Anyone outside would have taken it as a soldier having a hard time in bed or something else. Grell cared less about what the humans outside thought but his mind entered a euphoric bliss when Sebastian's teeth dug into his skin, biting him with half the effort Grell was giving to the silk muffler.

He swore that Sebastian could have shot him right then and there when he climaxed, he wouldn't care. Tears erupted from his eyes and Grell hit release harder than any time William had gotten him to do so. His breath hitched and his heart skipped several beats. Hot liquid shot into him but Grell took it all in, caring less about what would happen and more on the ecstasy he was going through. His back curved deeper but then relaxed, the pleasure ebbing away by the second.

Sebastian withdrew and Grell slumped over to the side, his strained hands went to his mouth to remove the cloth. He laid there on his shoulder, panting and trying to catch his breath while trying to make sense of things. It was still dark, his eyes wandered around until he saw a pair of orbs where Sebastian would be; those pair of deep purple orbs were glistening in the dark, Grell had realized that Sebastian was a demon through and through. He tore his gaze away, not wanting to be hypnotized, one was enough for tonight and he was afraid of vomiting due to the wine or something else.

"...that was...amazing," Grell uttered with his hand drying his eyes. The bed dipped and Sebastian was looming over him once more to give him a chaste kiss to the temple.

"My Master is calling me," he murmured into his ear. With a snap of his finger, light came out of the darkness and the room was lit so brightly. Grell's eyes were strained at the sudden change of lighting, his eyes adjusted to see that his essence caked the center of the bed, He blushed furiously as he saw Sebastian fixing himself. Grell spotted the hat near his head and took it, putting it on himself while fighting against the numbness in his rear to sit up.

His dress had hiked up to his waist, showing his intimate parts of Sebastian just to tease him. Grell gave a mischievous smile. "Wouldn't your Master want you to be in full uniform?"

Sebastian took the hat off of Grell's head and gave him a look of wanting him to take things seriously. Grell reached out to touch his cheek; the purple color of those eyes faded away into a cool, brownness that had a tint of red.

_So they change when the brat calls on him._

"True," Sebastian replied, taking that hand and then gently brushing it away from him. Grell went to lay down on his bed but he placed the blanket over that wet spot so that he wouldn't roll into it in his sleep. The dress was stretched downwards to cover him completely while Sebastian gathered up his missing glove. Once ready, he was at the door with a hand on the switch. He flicked it and the lights went out. "Schlafen Sie, Grell ein."*1

The door was gently closed and Grell found himself in darkness. Gathering up the pillow at the foot of his bed, he held it close to his body while resting his head on another pillow. He was going to be sore tomorrow but he was content that Sebastian had done this with him. Slowly, his eyelids fluttered for a bit before closing completely, his mind drifted off into a doze and eventually the exhaustion caught up with him and he was no more than a limp person in bed.

* * *

A/N: There, I give you...yaoi, ha ha!

Translations/References:  
*1 Go to sleep, Grell

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	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

* * *

"You're in luck for today, Standartenjunker," Claude said as he escorted Grell throughout the facility.

A full two weeks had passed since that fateful night. Day in and day out, Grell was sent off to the labor fields in order to supervise them with Sebastian. Tedious as they were, he and the demon would often be within hearing range to discuss whatever was relevant to them; they silently decided to keep it in a platonic relation, much to Grell's dismay, in order to prevent suspicion from anyone. At least it was bearable for both of them, having one another's companies.

Soon enough, as Birnekau followed the standard procedures, Grell's daily dose of Sebastian's company had been replaced with Claude's unsavory attitude; he was whisked away into a new environment.

Grell sighed to himself, he knew that the statement was out of sarcasm. "Oh? Luck?"

He tried to keep his spite out of his tongue whenever he spoke, he had a feeling that Claude had something against him but was withholding himself as well.

"Yes, you will be overseeing the children this time," he said, Grell walked by his side and saw that the man had a smirk; it was small but it was still a smirk nonetheless.

Grell's brows furrowed, then his stomach churned. He didn't dare wonder how the children must look like in a concentration camp. Malnourished, abused, maybe even missing a limb here or there; he always had a soft spot for children, particularly younger ones. He grimaced at the thoughts, he hoped that he would encounter those in their early teens or late childhoods. For all he knew, he may spend a long time here if the children were the last things the Nazis wanted to deal with.

Part of him wanted to ask if it the barracks for the children contained children who were in one piece. Another told him to wait and see it himself. He bit his lip with flat teeth in anticipation of what was to be shown to him.

They crossed over several lanes that separated every specialized compound from one another. Passed the Gypsies, the Women, and the Familial Facility that housed Czeck families. Grell looked straight ahead to avoid their faces when he rounded the corner. A Shultzstraffel that wore a white, laboratory coat was busying himself in picking up a briefcase that had fallen out of his hand; the papers were scattered and he was cursing himself in a foreign language.

"Doctor Hiro," Claude said to gain the apparent _doctor's_ attention. The man turned his head though his hands were preoccupied with gathering the papers. Claude nodded to Grell and made a gesture with his head, it was an order to pick everything up. Grell reluctantly complied as the doctor got up from his hands and knees; Grell quickly took whatever he could, rearranged them, and neatly placed them into the leather briefcase. Once done, he snapped the casing closed and went to his feet, offering it to the man.

The man bowed respectably and breathed out,"Ah, thank you, sir, thank you. Thank you."

"Sutcliff, this is Doctor Hiro, he is the Head of the Medical Team of Birkenau and Head of the Research Facility in Auschwitz I."

Hiro bowed once more at the introduction. When he spoke, he had a thick, Japanese accent to his German. It made it hard to understand but Grell could tell he was learning as best he could. He was young and springy, perhaps about in his late twenties. He wore a uniform under his white coat but it had a slight alteration to it due to him hailing from a different army. His hair was somewhat lengthy and shaggy, he seemed to be in need of a trim, but overall, it was combed back in an attempt to look presentable.

Personality wise, he seemed to be the kind who was eager to do what he can, as he could speak with apprehension in his words. Taking the briefcase back from Grell, he offered his hand and Grell shook it. "I am grateful for meeting you, Herr Sutcliff. I suppose you are the Officer who will be helping me today with the children?"

Grell tried to give an equally pleasing smile. "As Herr Faustus was telling me, yes."

"Great! Yes!" Hiro was almost about ready to bounce on the balls of his feet out of the sheer excitement for something. Claude have a disapproving look to the spirited man, it intimidated Hiro and caused him to compose himself. "I'm sorry, I just love working with the little ones."

"Well, now that we are acquainted, I must leave." Claude gave a sweeping look at Grell's belt. Grell took note of it; he had kept Harvey's gun on his person, waiting to see who would have a reaction to its appearance. So far, Claude was the only one he gave a glance at it; it was a sure indication that what Sebastian said was true. The gun was in Claude's possession at some point and Grell now had someone to pursue. Grell wanted to speak up but Claude interrupted, saying,"Good day for both of you."

"To you as well, mein Herr!"

Grell murmured,"Unh...yeah."

The sound of hands clapping against one another gained Grell's attention. "Well, let's get going, shall we?"

Hiro walked with life in his steps, unfazed by the decrepit faces and groans of starvation, he seemed to enjoy his work. Grell followed closely, trying to make sense of why the man was so happy about Birkenau.

_He's disturbing..._

A while of dealing with him ended with the pair stopped before a single storied gray building with facilities for prisoners at both sides. The doors opened when two men, both in lab coats, stepped out. They nodded at Hiro and Grell and went on about their business. Soon enough, they were inside the building.

It was a medical facility of sorts. Men, and sometimes women, were all about at desks and sorting through files of registrations and other things that dealt with information. Hiro brought Grell to a staff lounge and beckoned him to sit at a table; Hiro went off to make some coffee while Grell entertained himself by looking at the propaganda posters designed by the Nazis. He glanced over ones that promoted child birth in order to support the manpower needed for the Third Reich and also the involvement of Aryan children in the Youth Organizations; benefits, advertisements, and lies were all that Grell could understand.

War was war, you can dress it up as much as you want but it will still be a conflict.

He felt like he was back at the new cafe in London as he waited for Hiro. He pretended that it was Ronald he was waiting for but that imagination shattered when a chair pulled up next to him and Hiro plopped himself down with two, paper cups of the steaming beverage. Grell took his and drank it while Hiro brought up his briefcase and opened it.

"I bet you're wondering why a Japanese fellow like myself is doing here in Poland," Hiro began.

Grell looked at him. That was not what he was pondering about, he was pondering about London. He was close to correct him but he resorted to nodding.

"Well, our Research Facility was closed down in Nanking in 1938 so I had to relocate myself in order to continue my studies of the human body; we had to destroy all of our records, they want me to replace our information! Do you know how long that will take for an individual such as myself?" Hiro gave an incredulous laugh. "Years and years, I wish I had more hands but I'm the only one that survived, all of my colleagues can't speak German or Polish, let alone English!"

It was ironic to hear him say that as Grell himself was on a mission due to his native language. Hiro went on speaking of the greatness of his work and how he preferred to carry on his research. After finishing their cups, Hiro handed Grell a few files and told him of the children they will be meeting for today.

They were children from the Balkans. Each wore rags upon their shoulders and all had glassy eyes that stared at the camera with complete misery. How can Hiro want to work with these sad subjects? They seemed to only have skin and bones to probe into. Grell was given a briefing for each child, trying to understand their health and various issues.

"Exactly, what do you do?" Grell asked cautiously.

"Oh, a number of things but for today, I'm testing the reactions of humans to various chemicals. Tomorrow, we will deal with physical limitations to their bodies. Normally, I'd give the candy but it will effect the results of their exposure. Gas chambers are the ultimate way to use chemicals but I want to try it in a different form of matter...such as liquid or even a solid, if possible." He smiled broadly after gathering up the papers and neatly placing them into his briefcase.

"...do I have to go with you?"

Hiro shook his head. "No, no, just escort the children to me when I call them, I have others to take care of the bodies or handling."

Grell sighed in relief.

They both got up and left the staff lounge.

An elevator was what greeted them when they went down several hallways. They passed corridors where prisoners were groaning in pain or recovering from their latest treatments, Grell steeled himself in case he was flashed with a cadaver that seemed too unnatural to be human; he suppose that these people were sick and twisted artists that lack the capability to pain with blood.

Hiro allowed Grell to enter the lift first before coming in and pressing the buttons himself.

Gears groaned and the lights flickered as the elevator brought them down a floor. When the doors opened, all Grell could see were endless cages built into the walls of the underground basement containing children. Some cages were open, allowing few to walk about. There was an open section down one hallway where children were gathered about, silent, and keeping each other's companies. Outside of the doors were two guards that ensured that no child dared attempt to use the elevator as a means of escape.

There was an adequate amount of light, Grell could clearly see the poor children that had been starved by their captures.

"This is where we hold children that are in preparations for experiments," Hiro explained with a gleeful sigh,"those who are in the cages are the ones who will be undergoing tests. The ones outside are those who have already been tested or are simply there due to their special features; those aren't supposed to be tampered with since they were special ordered for a doctor that will come by in a year."

He lead Grell down several halls, all the way to a door that said Hiro's name. The man took a ring of keys and opened his door.

Inside, there was a standard desk, a chair, numerous filing cabinets, and a board that held pinups of children that had undergone specific procedures that struck Hiro's fancy.

"Why do you favor the children so much? You could do this on adults," Grell suggested while looking over a photo of a mutilated girl.

"True, but we can gain quicker results from them when we use chemicals. Typically, I'd be using adults but time is short and solutions are as well. Speaking of solutions, Hitler-sama's decision of the Final Solution is a perfect opportunity to find ways to effectively kill human beings; rather exciting, yes?"

Grell looked away.

Hiro had left his briefcase on the desk as he searched through the drawers. Eventually, he pulled out a ring of keys and showed them to Grell.

"Each key has a number to a designated cell. When I call for more, I want the child in the cell number I say and you will fetch him or her carefully, understood?" Hiro asked, Grell nodded and was ushered out of the room; the door was closed and locked behind him. Hiro had taken a few files with him for the order and they went down a corridor that had a single door at the end of it. No cells, no other doors, nothing but that door and the florescent lights in the ceiling. "I will be at the end of the hallway, I will reach you via intercom."

Grell nodded. "You expect me to just sit around outside and do nothing than that, right?"

Hiro raised an eyebrow, frowning. "Would you like to watch the experiments?"

He held his hands up at shoulder height and shook his head. "Nein, nein!"

"Alright then. A key to my office is on the key ring, there is some candy in there so you can give it to children not inside the cells."

Hiro left Grell in the hallway. His coat fluttered behind him as he took long strides. Within seconds, the steel door opened and then slammed shut.

Grell turned around and went off to the cells where the children were kept. He was the only Officer, besides the guards, that was on this underground floor; despite the amount that were accompanied him, Grell couldn't help but feel utterly alone. He observed the children outside of the cells, they were huddling against walls, terrified and hopeless. Grell offered them a smile to brighten them up but they flinched, cowering even more into the concrete surface.

He reached out to one, a small boy, but he skittered across the floor to be as far away as possible, whimpering.

It broke his heard to see that reaction.

I fail to see how lucky the day is.

And then the intercom blared, causing some children to yelp and scatter apart in both their cells and outside.

"Sutcliff! Bring prisoner 7630Z in F326!"

Grell had only a minute to figure out the numbering system and placement of cells. He wandered about in the labyrinth, trying to find Sector F after learning the changes in letters in each corridor. Soon enough, he found one cell and the sole occupant. He took his keys, unlocked the cell door, and entered. The child, about the tender age of seven, fearfully looked up when she heard his voice say,"Sprechen Sie Deutsch?"*1

She stared at him as if he were from another planet. He offered her his hand and she refused, tucking herself deeper into the corner. Grell sighed and took her by the arm, forcing her to stand up. She tried to resist but he quickly slapped her, she let out a cry when he brought out of the cell and slammed the door - they automatically lock with enough force. He dragged her down the halls towards the steel door. Her cries didn't catch anyone's attention for they knew what fate awaited her.

Grell waited patiently at the lonesome door, then he banged his fist on it. Hiro answered it, opening it and giving the little girl a smile while saying playfully,"Today, we're going to use sulfur on you." He checked the number on her arm to ensure she was the right child, he nodded in approval. "This will be entertaining."

Both Grell and the girl's eyes widened as she was hurled into the room beyond the door. Before Grell could see anything else, it was slammed shut upon his face.

A chill rose through Grell's spine and, immediately, he turned heel and tried to go as far away as possible; he didn't want to hear the screams. A few blind turns here and there lead him to a boy that was wearing a faded beige slacks and a white blouse with a patchy vest; the clothes were clean, telling Grell that he may possibly have been part of the latest shipment of the Romani (Gypsies) that had came in a few days ago or he may be from the Gypsy or the Family Camp*2. He looked healthy but hygienically compromised. Even with his unnaturally blue hair tied up in a braid, he could see it was oily.

Unlike the other children, he wasn't cowering. He was, in fact, being brave. How he ended up here was beyond Grell's imagination but he quickly made to approach him at full sprint. Immediately, his quick hands bumped into his waist. He could feel the holster for his gun and key ring come off of his belt. He deducted he was one who was an expert in thievery, he attempted to go after the boy but then he whirled about and pointed the gun at him.

A blue eye stared at him, the other was covered by a bandage.

That determined face reminded him of Ciel.

Grell held his hand up, trying to strike a compromise. "...if you lower the gun, I'll give you sweets...Ciel."

The boy glared at him, eye fierce in the will to kill him.

"You little brat," Grell said in English,"are you stupid? The damn thing isn't loaded!"

It was a bluff. Again, Grell never knew much about firearms. He doesn't know if it operates on bullets or anything. The boy flipped the safety and pulled the trigger, but all that was heard was a pathetic _click_! He immediately tossed the gun at Grell, finding it to be a useless weapon. Grell caught it and holstered it, keeping a hand to ensure that the boy wouldn't steal it away again.

"Then I call you stupid for not loading it for your protection," the boy snorted in a poor attempt at speaking German. He began to walk away, Grell followed him, then he jumped him to wrestle the keys out of his hands. After a quick struggle, Grell had regained the ring of keys and managed to get Ciel to the floor, pinning him down in a position in which his arm was twisted behind his back. "Ah!"

"I have no time to deal with a little kid like you, I suggest you don't do anything to interfere with my work, is that understood?" Grell snarled but the only response he gained was a chuckle. Grell released the boy and stood up, leaving him on the ground. "What's so funny?"

Ciel managed to sit himself up, he looked at Grell with that cryptic eye. "Sebastian has told me what you are mostly here for. You're so into character as a Standartenjunker that you are hard to snap into reality, I had to get your attention completely. Honestly, I'd rather be helping you so that you can leave us to our souls here in Birkenau. Like Sebastian, I've been gathering information myself. If you come with me, I'll take you to some who know about what you're looking for."

"And what do you know yourself?" Grell questioned, Ciel was dubious. The boy got up with the help of his cell and spoke more in German.

"The identity of Azrael, you asked my butler that and I found who knows of him."

* * *

References/Translations:  
*1 Do you speak German?  
*2 The Family Camp (later called the Theresienstadt Family Camp when Jews from Theresienstadt came in) was a section of Auschwitz where families were kept in a ghetto-like neighborhood before gassing or dying off.

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	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

* * *

The name was foreign to Grell, something he had never heard of. It was odd to hear it, both in English and German, his tongue rolled in his mouth to try to understand it as he followed Ciel closely.

Taller by about three inches, Ciel had matured slightly and yet retained his boyish face. He was at the point of where he was shedding that stage of childhood and becoming a man, Grell held a fascination to the development of humans; the beauty of physical change was much more interesting than emotional. The last time he had seen him, he was at chest height, now he was at chin height, it was quite impressive that demons had the ability to grow.

His hair, going as far down to the middle of his back, bounced left and right with a blue bow tied at the end of it.

This was probably his own disguise as well or he may have neglected to visit the barbers the passed couple decades.

"Where exactly are you taking me?" Grell questioned cautiously as they went deeper into the catacomb like holding of children. The deeper they went, the more children were locked up and fewer were out enjoying their brief freedoms.

Ciel glanced over his shoulder, not saying anything, when they breezed by a corner. He suddenly turned around and went down the hallway, Grell spun and caught up with him. He didn't want to lose sight of the boy; he may have been leading him to an ambush and, if it were, holding close contact to him would help him take the boy as a hostage. Paranoia set in, Grell had ventured further than what Hiro had called for. He had gone to a point of which labels were not on the cell doors, the inhabitants were either dead or being stored away for later use.

Grell had spotted a rotting hand dangling out between the bars, he was repulsed by it and immediately grabbed Ciel but the shoulder. "You...you better be leading me to somewhere! Someone! If not, I'll slaughter you!" His free hand went to cover his mouth, the putrid stench of the cadavers had reached to him. His stomach churned and then he heard the sound of a cloth tearing.

"Here, before you decide to vomit," Ciel said, hand offering a strip of cloth. It was from his shirt. Grell immediately took the sullied rag and tied it around his nose. It took its job of masking his nose but it was not enough to clear away completely.

Ciel stepped upon the hand with his bare foot, uncaring of the dead. Grell tried to focus on things that were brighter in life but there was no anvil. He slapped Ciel across the head and growled,"Show some respect you cocky bastard!"

"This is the best I can offer, it asked for contact before I took its soul."

_How heartless of him! He referred to the child as an **'it'**!_

Grell's teeth bore themselves in anger at this but the swelling in his stomach silenced him. These children, they may have been dumped here and forgotten but they were acknowledged by the boy as food. Free souls that gave little to no fight, and were innocent, seemed to have the best appeal to the boy; he was a sadist that had changed dramatically over the years. He was a demon, he had nothing left to lose, ever since he was a human he never held regards for anyone except for himself, his duty, and to his goal.

But to those that consent to Ciel's contract, Ciel regarded them as being pathetic for begging an escape that was too easy. A soul taken from a human was no longer able to call itself human, it was a soul that had given itself to a demon; they were property, mere objects that were an imperative to a monster's survival.

It was disgusting, the demons consuming souls. He fancied himself to them but only those who had decency.

Ciel, a child, was simply relishing his powers. Drunk with power, Ciel was enjoying it too much here.

"How much further?"

"Not much," he answered casually, hands going to his pockets, he began to whistle an old tune. Grell wanted to hit him once more but stopped when Ciel abruptly paused in mid step. The whistling stopped as well and Ciel placed his hand to a cell door that was second to the last down a hall. "Your key ring should have a skeleton key that unlocks everything in this floor, give it here."

Grell held it tightly at his waist. "What? Give it to you? You may try to pry open they doors and consume whatever you can!"

Ciel gave a dark, sinister chuckle that rebounded in the gloomy hallway. Even the lights had set a disturbing atmosphere to Grell.

"There are thousands of Jews, Poles, Romani, even politicians that are snuffed out due to their outcry against the Hitler. Besides, I can take souls in locked cells, those keys are worthless to me," Ciel stated. "If you don't trust me, you can take the key yourself and open this cell."

"That's better." Grell sighed to himself as he unhooked the key ring and took a random key and stuck it into the keyhole in hopes it would unlock. Unfortunately, it was the wrong one. He fumbled for the next one, then the next, and another. While he went through every trial and error, he glanced at the interior of the cell. The light had shown only half of the tiny space, whoever was in it may have taken refuge within the shadows. "So, who's in here?"

He took a key and shoved it into the hole in frustration. Ciel leaned against the bars and folded his arms. "A girl, she was transported here from the Gypsy camp for tests on her. She got blind from some sort of infection and became pretty much worthless to the Doctor."

"Bacteria may have gotten to her," Grell hypothesized openly,"it may be the case for her or it may be hereditary-"

A little, shy voice broke Grell's words, she began by saying something in a foreign language that Grell failed to process correctly. He used the twelfth key and, finally, the lock undid itself and the steel door opened with thundering clacks that broke the acrid air. Grell looked over at Ciel. "What did she say?"

"She says that she was going blind before coming to Birkenau," Ciel answered while entering first. He was hidden in the shadows very briefly before pulling a little girl in a dirtied dress, it was sullied black but Grell could make out bits and pieces of red that had began to absorb numerous dark stains. Her hands were on Ciel's arm, her steps were feeble and careful. She stumbled a bit but was supported by the demon.

Her hair was of bright red, an oddity that gave her a broken beauty. Her skin had become sickly pale and her lips were pursed thin. She had bandages wrapped around her eyes and yet they were a bit bloody from where the sockets would be. Grell backed away, slightly, out of fear for the child. She may have been about six or seven, girls were always gorgeous but to see one in this state was utterly pitiful. Another glance at her garments told him that she may have sewn themselves at some point.

"A Romani?" Grell murmured before drawing close and then letting the girl touch his chest with bandaged hands. Ciel whispered something into her ear, for she had cowered at his advance, in order to calm her down.

"Yeah, brought to this place with her family over half a year ago. She was put here a month ago and since she's useless, they plan on gassing her sooner or later."

"What shame." His gloved hand went to touch her mangy hair. She trembled. "Ask her of Azrael."

Ciel murmured quietly to her, she hesitantly whispered to him, he nodded and made approving sounds before turning to look up at Grell. "She says that he came to harvest the souls of those dying. He took a gun with a silencer and shot anyone that was about to pass on, he would stand there for a bit with a book before going on with his business. Whenever she would check on the bodies, there was no trace of a bullet. When others discovered of his powers, he became known as an angel. Since he hung near the dead or gave release to those suffering, he later became known as the Angel of Death, Azrael is the Jewish name given to him."

Grell nodded. "Had she seen him? Where was he mostly at?"

A few words were exchanged between the two. The girl was fiddling with Grell's brass buttons. Ciel answered for her again,"Numerous times, he was tall, much like you, but he was dressed as one of the prisoners. She would see him among the Family Camp but she never seen him rest there. About a few days before she was sent here, he stopped appearing at her Camp. She wants to know of what happened to him."

"That's why I'm here."

"I can imagine that Azrael is the same as whoever you're looking for." Ciel lead the girl back into the shadows and exited the cell. He beckoned for Grell to follow and he done so, the gate slammed behind them noisily. "Very few will know of him, I had spoken the name to others at the camp but no one knows it, it's like as though his name was wiped out of existence here. My only guess is that those who did know of Azrael had been devoured by demons that have gotten rid of him. Cinematic Records are digested with souls so looking over anyone would be useless."

Grell glanced once more into the cell, he spoke quietly,"Do you suppose I should reap her right now?"

"No, not yet, she might be useful for you later on," Ciel suggested while rubbing his shoulder,"you're the closest among any immortal being that has the emotional capacity to pity."

"Sadly, yes," Grell uttered.

The speaker blared for Grell's next delivery. He tore his eyes from the cell and was about to speak once more but the boy had vanished. He was left alone in the dank hallway, alone with the dead and sufferers. He shivered and took off into a sprint. His boots pounded against the floor, he wanted to get into a place where he saw some sort of life. He never looked back, he just looked on; the pain of seeing that girl had gotten to him.

He was, once more but much more prominently, beginning to regret taking up this mission with a gusto.

-...-

Grueling hours of handing children to Hiro had ended with the doctor coming out from behind the door dressed in a fresh set of clothes but the scent of blood, other bodily fluids, and ungodly chemicals were evident. Grell wrinkled his nose in distaste for the man's smell but reluctantly followed him to his office.

Hiro had came out with a larger stack of papers than before, he placed them on his desk and exited his room, meeting Grell outside and smiling pleasantly to him. When Grell failed to return the smile, the doctor had an inkling that Grell was gravely upset by this. A reassuring hand went to the brunette's shoulder and Hiro gently said,"Would you like to come to my quarters for tea?"

"Unm, I suppose that will be helpful," Grell said, shoulders hunched down. Hiro gave a pat to the pad of the coat and lead Grell to the elevator. They went up and were out into the blazing heat of Birkenau. Less guards were around but the prisoners were tucked away in their quarters for shade. Grell adjusted his hat and fixed his glasses as he began to sweat in his black uniform, it was dreadfully hot and he wished that fall would come and pass so that it would grow cooler.

"A few days ago, a politician and three others escaped by using a Shultzstraffel's own vehicle in Auschwitz I. I wasn't able to see the happening since I was conducting an operation but it caused quite the uproar!" Hiro exclaimed, trying to lighten up Grell's day. "Imagine that, security guards were fooled and they got away with guns!"

"They're lucky to have left this place instead of going through death."

Hiro sighed contentedly, hands stuffed into his pockets. "Lucky indeed, or the gods could have let them go."

"Gods?" Grell turned his head, looking directly at him, alarmed.

"Hnm? Oh! You must be Catholic or Christian, something of the sort, right? I'm sorry, but I practice Shintoism. We hold many gods in high regard to our daily lives, I'm sorry if I had offended you."

Grell shook his head. "No, no offense taken. I, myself, believe in God but the rest is utter bullshit."

Eyebrows were raised, Hiro had successfully gotten Grell to open up a bit. "That's quite-"

"Shocking? Yeah, I know but it shouldn't be surprising. Everyone holds different beliefs here. Out of all the places under the Third Reich, you must admit that Death Camps hold the most diversity concentrated into one congregation, religion, philosophies, anything; it's all here. All of it except hope, but that's not a religion now is it?" Grell spoke through gritted teeth, Hiro wanted to place a hand on his shoulder once more to calm him down but Grell swatted the hand away. He was taken aback but seemed to understood the pressure Grell was relaying to him. "I'm sorry but...the children, I can't work there!"

"That was what Rolf Schock said before he went missing," Hiro said below his breath,"I know it's hard but you'll get over it soon, it'll take time, my friend."

He snapped. "No! What sort of sick country did you come from? !"

A throat was cleared and Hiro remained collected, Grell was about to yell but the sound caught up to him.

Grell looked to the side, Sebastian was only a few feet away. Despite the sight of him, Grell was panting out of rage. The children, dead and rotting, alive and rotting, being consumed rather than reaped; they had no hope in both life and the afterlife. Grell couldn't reap them, not at the moment, it was too much for him to handle. His legs were growing weak, and they did. Grell slumped to the side, dizzy from the stench radiating from Hiro's body.

Sebastian was there to catch him, he supported him to his feet as he spoke to Hiro,"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation."

"Ah, Dämon," Hiro said, surprised,"I'm sorry for the fuss I caused."

"No need to apologize, it's my fault for not exposing Sutcliff properly to the myriad of situations he may encounter."

Hiro gave a nod of his head as Grell buried his face into Sebastian's shoulder, smearing his own glasses. The Doctor suggested,"I say letting him go for the executions is a nice place to start, who knows what corpses he'll find there. Maybe the crematory, most of the children go there." Grell whined. "Or just let him rest, something went on down there but, seeing as he's accustomed to you, he may be willing to talk."

"You read people well, Doctor Hiro," Sebastian praised him,"but it seems he can't hold himself up."

The man hefted Grell into his arms and carried him bridal style. Grell, feeling unwell, shut his eyes in attempt to make the dizzyness decrease while fighting the sudden motion that left him at a worse state. Grell groaned into Sebastian's chest and clung to his coat.

"Take him to bed, it's just a dizzy spell," Hiro assured him, turning around,"I need to go into town a bit to clear my mind. Good day, Dämon."

Sebastian didn't respond, he simply went the opposite direction towards the SS Barracks, careful to not have too much of a prideful spring in his steps. Grell, still conscious, had closed his eyes but knew that the man was trying to get to their room as fast as possible to avoid talking to anyone. So far, no one had spoken up or achknowledged their beings.

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	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

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The dipping of the mattress announced to Grell that he was placed on his back upon the get with great delicacy. His head rested on the pillow but he spoke out with a cheek to the cloth as he turned his head,"I want to go home."

"Home is somewhere too far for you, Grell," Sebastian answered to him, going over to the stove,"and for me, I find it to be anywhere as far as the Master wishes to go. As high as the stars or as low as the depths of the ocean, anywhere."

"How romantic," he groaned out, hands going under his eyes, he rubbed the leather of his gloves against his eyelids. The images of Ciel setting foot on that rotting hand was recounted and his stomach made somersaults. He had suddenly realized that the strip of cloth was still wrapped over his mouth and nose, he quickly untied it and tossed it aside to take in the scent of cologne in the room. He breathed slowly and closed his eyes once more and the images stayed at bay this time. "God, get me out of here."

Sebastian gave a simple 'Hn' as a response and said,"It's ironic hearing you say that." The water in the kettle was boiling gently. Sebastian let it rest and went to sit at the edge of Grell's bed. "I didn't mean for you to be assigned to the children, let alone be the helper for Doctor Hiro."

"Oh?"

Grell opened his eyes to see Sebastian looking down at him. That look seemed to be warm and pleasant but those reddish-brown orbs told Grell that he seemed to have a slight bit of guilt to him, just a slight bit but enough to convince Grell that he was capable of emotions. The flicker of culpable humanity went away at the instant when the former butler explained,"Ciel wanted to personally give you information as to who you are looking for, I honestly have no idea what he had shown you but clearly it was disturbing to you."

"No, not the girl, it was the place itself. I swear, it's like he's turning into you or something."

"Yes, he may have no boundaries but he has taste for specific souls."

The kettle whistled, Sebastian got up to tend to the water and make Grell the rest of his tea. Grell shifted around and laid on his side to watch Sebastian sidle every so often. "Dear, had you ever had the urge to kill the boy?"

"To be fairly honest, yes," Sebastian said without giving a second thought,"I suppose my greed has undone me, just as my previous Master had told me years ago."

"Interesting, I thought you had a thing for the brat. It would be disturbing if you-"

"We have and we done what we have, there is nothing wrong with that."

Grell's eyes widened at the casually tossed information and his jaw dropped. Scandalous talk helped him cope through issues and this was certainly a shocker that ripped his thoughts away from the children of the underground hospital. He shifted around in his bed, leaning towards him, and cocked his head to the side in bewilderment. "Friends with benefits?"

"Orders, but again, I have no qualms against the things that transpired between us."

"You truly are a devilish dog," he murmured, grimacing. He felt a pang of jealousy, as it was natural, and considered the boy to be a natural whore. Sebastian had finally readied the tea and placed it at Grell's bedside. "Thank you, dear."

But much to Grell's consternation, Sebastian gathered up his coat and headed for the door. Grell rose slightly but grew dizzy at the sudden movement, Sebastian stopped in the process of turning the doorknob, he explained,"I'm sorry, Grell, but I left my post to check on you. Obviously, Claude will notice my person being gone so I must go and attend to whatever he and the Hauptmann wanted me to do. They think I went to Auschwitz I to fetch their documents."

The door swung open and he stepped through. Grell had managed to get sit up properly and asked quickly,"W-where's the medicine for motion sickness?"

"In the drawer to the right of the cabinet near the sink. Do try to stay in bed. You are now relieved of your duties for today but if you need to be vouched, ask for the Doctor or me. I shall be back within an hour."

And without another word, he went off with the door closing behind him. Grell immediately rushed to the lavatory and vomited what he could into the toilet. The thoughts had fled but the stench remained engraved in his mind, this forced the repressed memory of that hand being stepped on to resurface and taunt him to a point of sickness. His stomach lurched and his eyes swelled with tears.

He was regretting it. He truly wanted to go home. Sebastian had left and he no longer felt the desire to be here in Birkenau, not even the room in which Sebastian occupied offered any comfort to him. He wanted to get back to a civilized London, not a nuthouse. It was not the art he imagined but a living Hell he had entered complete with demons and souls of those forever entrapped. He was a lone person in this sent to investigate an unstable case of a fellow coworker that had gone insane and to also gather up souls of whoever he could take.

The demons that resided here seem to take care of all that Grell had been unable to reap. It would only be a matter of time before the Administrations of countries of the respective souls begin to notice the rapid decline of recovered souls. Grell himself had managed to reap a few of an unfair share of the majority. He would be damned if he was to reap the entire concentration camp on his own rather than a sector. He spat up once more at the stress that numbers had given him.

His goal was to solve the investigation, that was it. Maybe root out a few demons here and there but there was so many, he could never take them all at once. It was beginning to be useless. He wished to have brought someone with him, maybe even William for the sake of company. He was offered to have a partner during his visit to the Berlin Division but it was stupid to decline it. He could wonder if Sebastian and Ciel themselves were fighting a silent war between the demons of this place in an attempt to secure the souls for themselves.

A pair against an unknown but fairly daunting number.

_Numbers._

He vomited for the last time and shakily grabbed the hand towel on the sink and cleaned off his mouth. Once he cleansed himself, he went over to the cabinet and roughly opened the drawer to grab a lonesome bottle of pills. He popped the cap off and took two, as was the typical dosage, then he closed it off and throw it into the drawer carelessly, slamming it closed while ingesting the medication dry. He walked out, slowly, and drank the warm tea.

He thought of what he could possibly do now that he spare time on his hands. He paced around before going to the loose floorboards, at the the foot on his bed, and lifted them up to grab his journal.

It was of red leather and collected a few dust bunnies at the seam. He dusted it off and had went to his desk to read whatever his mind could permit. While there was a fair bit of sunlight left from the setting sun, he read his latest entries. All that he could learn so far was that he had little description of Schock but he had gained a good amount on Azrael. There was no doubt that Azrael was a Shinigami and, better yet, may as well be Harvey due to him lacking the persona of a Schultzstraffel.

_Ciel says that he wore the garbs of a prisoner...I wish I asked for his prison number but at least knowing he was commonly found at the Family Camp narrows down wherever he was._

The fact that he was able to focus gave him the security that the medication was working properly. It was nearing four in the afternoon, he could possibly sneak into the record room and find whatever pseudonym Harvey used to keep himself in Birkenau. He decided to go for it and, due to him being personally relieved for the rest of the day, he saw no issue in taking a peek. Officers check records all the time, there shouldn't be an issue!

-...-

The Records Building was across the square of the main Administration building. He entered the brick building through the white doors and found that there were was a literal ocean of bookcases as far as the eye could see. He had to go on the tips of his toes to know where to begin. Labels hung from the ceiling of the warehouse to show where specific records were kept.

Grell was simply amazed that he encountered little resistance upon his journey here. He started his search for the Family Camp and managed to get to the middle of everything. He stood before the numerous shelves and read several metal labels on the shelves to see how the system was organized. He figured that dates were what ordered the records, followed by alphabetized files and even racial sections. There was so much to choose from, it would take hours, maybe even days, to find Harvey's false records.

Grell bit his lip with his flat teeth and tried to sort this out in his mind until heavy footfalls were approaching his aisle.

His heart pounded with each step of whoever it was. He remained calm in expression, he even tried to take a random file and make himself act natural. His eyes were focused on a picture of an elderly Romanian man when the being found his section and began to come near. He kept his eyes focused on the photo in a sad attempt to pretend he was deaf.

"Sutcliff, was machen Sie hier?" *1

That voice, it was too familiar, almost to a point of where he tasted poison in his own mouth, he knew who it was.

Grell tore his eyes away from the file and had his full attention onto Claude. He gave him a charming smile and said innocently,"Ich wollte nur sehen, wie viele Rumäne hinein aber ich Sorte von erhalten verloren in der Suche geliefert hat, auch ich wollte sehen, wenn sie irgendeinen Wert haben...if Sie wissen, was ich bedeute." *2

"I suggest checking the Jews, not the Gypsies," Claude advised in a mocking tone,"I also suggest not sticking your nose into places where they do not belong."

"What make you think that? I am only a curious individual who wants to know of where I can get extra pocket change. Don't ever think that all Officers come from clean pasts."

Claude's eyes narrowed. He spoke with an icy tone,"This is not a clean present either but I should let you know that all property belongs to the Third Reich. You, Sutcliff, are treading deep waters. This warehouse is accessible to designated staff members and those of the appropriate rank. You are only a guard and have nothing to do with the information of prisoners or their personal belongings. I give you a warning to leave this warehouse right now."

Grell shrugged. He could sneak in another time or have Sebastian do this for him. "Let me just put this file back."

He turned around but received a heavy blow on the back of the head. Stars were dancing and his head reverberated in the impact. He instantly fell to the ground, groaning at the ripples of pain going through his body. He felt ill once more but pain shot through him when he took a boot to the side. Then another strike was taken at his ribs, he swore he heard something crack. His hat fell ff of his head and his face was pressed against the file that had fell to the floor from his hand.

"Ugh!"

"It should be a given that I do not like to be tested."

Claude brought down another kick, this time to Grell's face. It was enough to bust his lip but not enough to dislocated his jaw. Grell cried out, curling up into a ball and laying on his side to pathetically defend himself. "Bo! Buh-blease!"

He was kicked repetitively, but only on his abdomen. That was the drawback of being in a human body, Claude may as well be planning to consume his soul due to having no idea of Grell's true form. The beating went on for endless minutes but then a door opened in a distant world, at least to Grell, as his mind became blank. Overwhelmed by pain and sickness, his mind had decided to close up and soon enough, he was in a world of black.

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A/N: Sorry it took too long to update. I had Finals and all that.

References/Translation:

*1 Sutcliff, what are you doing here?  
*2 I only wanted to see how many Romanian have shipped in but I sort of gotten lost in the search, also I wanted to see if they have any value...if you know what I mean

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	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

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_The fresh scent of apples came to him._

_Light poured through the crack in the wood, the rays gleamed into his eyes, causing them to clench tighter in disgust at the energy._

_He tried to wave the whiteness away and rolled to his side, the bed creaked, along with the floorboards, his groan joined them. Slowly, once tucked into the safety of the shadows, he opened his eyes, slowly, to avoid the intensity from the light that threatened to blind him._

_A voice called, a child's voice. In an instant, he was up and out of his bed, bare feet hitting the wood. His hands swept to the nightstand for his round glasses, he struggled to balance himself as he stood, rearranging his clothes. He went to bed without a shirt, for summer nights were dreadfully hot; he fumbled around his room for the nearest one and wore it without checking to see if it had a stench to it._

Oh, it was so long ago.

_He reached around his nightstand and grabbed a pair of worn out, leather boots. He hopped a bit while going into the hallway, calling,"Wait!"_

_The day was so special to him, but he had long forgotten why it was. He passed by a small kitchen, his head barely missing the lamp that hung from the ceiling. He dove around, running out into a porch. So many things he had seen before, so many that he had missed, it felt as though he was looking back in a past life._

_At first he was running on wooden planks, but now, he was running along a dirt path. He did not look back, he looked forward, running, searching for the source of that child's voice. It became clearer as he went further down the path and away from home, he strayed into the grass, leaping over fallen logs or stumps that were once great trees that were part of the landscape. The cries of the morning birds mixed in the distance with the girl's, he scent of the apples faded into a light breeze that picked up the freshness of pines._

_But he kept going, faster, further, until he was lost within a forest; the girl was no longer heard of and he was alone, wandering aimlessly, trying to find anything that could lead him out of this labyrinth of trees. And then, in a clearing, a red object was spotted amongst the thicket of the ground. He immediately went after the shape and, upon closing in on it, he found it to be an apple. Huffing, he picked it up and examined it, curious as to where it came from. _

_He heard giggling. He looked up. A red orb was falling from the sky. He stared at it, perplexed as to why it suddenly came down. It missed him by an inch, and he smiled, relieved that it was all a game._

"Grell!"

_Wait._

_That was no sound of a girl, much less even a child's._

And the deepness of the voice came to him again. "Grell!"

As if he were falling, he was lunged back into reality. He found his sides burning and his head throbbing in pain. His clothes were gone and replaced with a white gown, he was under light covers with his torso and abdomen bound in gauze. He felt that his mouth was stinging the most, he swear he could feel it palpitate every few seconds. His mind, dazed, commanded him to open his eyes, slowly, so that the light of the nearest lamp wouldn't blind him.

He was laying on his back, hands folded over his stomach. He moved but he was incredibly sore.

"No, no, stay still for a bit. I just finished pressing your rib back in place!"

That annoying, accented German came to Grell. He turned his head to see Hiro standing at the bedside, washing his hands in a bowl with red water. Grell groaned and whined,"Da bell?"

"And please, don't speak unless you want the stitching to your lips to open up!"

The man was in black slacks and a dress shirt, black suspenders held his pants up. He dried off his hands with a bloodstained towel and began to walk towards a desk that was across from the bed. He went around it and sat down on a leather chair, he suddenly busied himself with reading documents and signing whatever that was there. It was a stiff ten minutes before Hiro looked up from his papers and said bluntly,"You were lucky I decided to check into the Record Warehouse to pick up some files. I heard you groaning and Faustus came by me, obviously, wherever Faustus is, a beaten man is somewhere nearby."

Grell rolled his eyes. He knew that Claude was responsible for this. _Oh, that son of bitch will pay for this!_

"Given your rank and position, you can't exactly press anything against him, it'll be ignored; Birkenau has other matters to care for." Hiro clicked his tongue.

_Sebastian will take care of this._

The doctor toyed with the pen in hand. "Faustus is a dangerous man, you should be careful when you're alone with him. You aren't the only one that has been battered down so horribly but it has been a month since he had done it. The last one he harmed was a woman, a maid that takes care of the Barracks."

"But, if you keep on your feet and stay with another worker when he's around, you should be fine. Charges are taken seriously when there is a witness around. Please, you can stay the night. But, would it be alright to ask a question?" Grell's eyebrow twitched, he nodded and Hiro got up instantly, excited by something that seemed to be worth more than a thousand souls.

In a blink, the doctor was at Grell's bedside leaning a bit too close for comfort. He tried to edge away but then a dreaded inquiry made his heart almost stop. "Are you a Shinigami?"

Grell squealed, eyes glaring right at him. His hand immediately went to Hiro's collar to hold him and, despite the earlier warning, he spluttered,"I kill...kill yew! How yew bow `bout meh?"

Hiro, with terror stricken eyes, held his hands up in submission.

"P-please! I only wish to worship you, Sir! I...I practice Shintoism! A deity such as you, you're all powerful, I have to worship you, when I saw your eyes, they're the eyes of a god, not a human! D-don't kill, no kill, I have a family back home!"

It was dubious to hear that a sketchy man such as Hiro to suddenly spurt out some nonsense that Grell could be worshiped. He grew paranoid. Hiro could have been the ultimate answer for Harvey's insanity, for all he knew, Hiro could have used his surgical skills to paralyze him in some form so that a demon could come and finish him off. He was scared, he wanted to kill Hiro regardless of the religion he followed, it was for his own protection after all.

Grell wrapped the collar around his fist tighter but Hiro showed no signs of resistance. The man was bowing to him the best he could, head tucking into his chest and his chin touching the back of Grell's hand. He had no idea what to do, Sebastian was nowhere and may as well be clueless as to where Grell was if the demon were to return from his trip.

The window by the desk told Grell it was night time but the time was unknown. He eyed the window, then his gaze fell upon Hiro; the doctor was trembling, silently begging for mercy. Grell let out a sigh and released him as rough as he could, his hand went to his stomach and he stared up at the ceiling.

"Thank you, thank you, Sir, thank you." Grell guessed that Hiro was bowing numerous times. "I ask of nothing in return, only that you spare me. I will serve you if you need me! I even created a barrier for this room alone so that you could change your form without being detected by an akuma*1, a demon!"

Grell prayed to himself that anyone would come bursting into the office to save him from Hiro's babbling, but man went on and on for what felt like an eternity. He wanted to reach out and kill him personally but he violently snapped,"Get me Obersturmführer Sebastian Daemon right now unless you wan` to die!"

The sound of the command made Hiro bounce to his heels and rush out of the room in great haste. With a door left ajar, Grell closed his eyes, impatiently waiting for the odd foreigner to return with the man he needed the most. He needed to talk to someone with a calm mind, an erratic man such as Hiro was someone that can barely keep a straight conversation without going into acclamation for him. The beating he received from Claude tore a bit of his confidence from him; he thought it would be a safe mission but the newly discovered threat unnerved him.

Like the humans he had encountered in Birkenau, Grell himself sought comfort to escape the prison. Sebastian, as of late, had slowly began to reclaim a place in his heart that was locked away so many years ago.

* * *

Translation:

*1 Demon

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	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

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Metzger was fixing himself a cigar, his hand clipped off the stub while the other leaned against the table for support. The radio was blaring about how Americans had found a landing at Guadacanal, he ignored them while being content with his cigar. He slowly breathed in and out, the ceiling fan wafted the air to him, sending the smoke towards Claude.

"Doctor Hiro says that you have beaten Officer Sutcliff, is this correct?" He began, calmly.

"That is a lie, sir," Claude lied to him, looking directly at the door,"I was only disciplining him. Enough of myself, sir, I am a modest man after all. Do tell, had Daemon returned with the documents of the Belgium Jews? They arrived without paperwork and my men cannot execute them yet until we have the proper registration."

The Captain rubbed his eye and rested his hand on a file as the radio chattered on and on,"...Germans will not provide support!"

"Oh, of course we won't provide support, our forces are planning to go after Stalingrad!" He paused before going on about how redundant the obvious broadcasting was being, then he went on with the conversation, languidly saying,"No, he had not. I can't imagine how long it'll take to fetch some stacks of papers. Well, a few thousand heads were brought so I suppose I can give him some time...but it's nine already, this is ridiculous. Faustus, go to Auschwitz I and check to see-"

But the door swung open and Sebastian's voice was overheard above the radio.

"There will be need for troubling Faustus with such a tedious task."

The former butler entered calmly, taking strides so cockily that it made Claude glower at him. Behind him, the three, purple haired Unterscharführers came while wheeling stacks of documents into the office. Metzger made a gesture for Claude to begin sorting through the papers and organizing them while Sebastian saluted him.

"That took you an ungodly amount of time, Daemon, is there a reason?" Metzger said sternly. Sebastian simply smiled at him and presented him a bottle of champagne and a case of cigars. The captain's strained expression changed to surprise and delight, he was suddenly smiling while biting his cigar between his teeth. "Oh, I see. You are forgiven, after all, what are we to do with the Jews? We kill them all. That's what. These papers are, well-"

"They are needed in case any of our physicians wish to experiment with them," Claude finished for him.

The bottle was placed upon the desk, the cigars were taken by Metzger's good hand. "Good work, Daemon, you know what I like but that still does not change Herr Führer's orders for sending troops to Stalingrad."

A knock on the door caught everyone's attention, as it turned out, Hiro, with windswept hair and low breath, was standing there, chest heaving. He looked around the room, bowed, and entered, apologizing,"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I just, um...wanted to know how the war is going on for my country, my radio is not working and..." He trailed off, it was obvious he was here for other reasons. Sebastian turned off the radio and Hiro looked dismayed by this. "Oh."

"Well, enough of that. All three of you, my Obersturmführers, are here. Come, Faustus, forget about the documents for a bit and send those three out of here. Sebastian, get me enough glasses for everyone and pop the cork off."

The orders were executed at the fastest they could be done, glasses of champagne were at the table and the men crowed around the front while Hiro smoked peacefully. After the three, purple haired men left, Metzger began,"If either of you had known, Hitler is planning to take Stalingrad by the end of the month. I was instructed to send one of my three Obersturmführers up Northeast to join the units there since they are short on manpower. Now, who will it be?"

"Mein Führer, I can't do that, I am a physician," Hiro protested.

"That leaves you two," he answered, nodding to Claude and Sebastian,"I give the option first if either of you wish to volunteer. Who will?"

Neither of the two wanted to offer themselves. Metzger frowned, then pointed to Claude.

"Given the circumstances and the people that you had decided to discipline all too well, Fuastus, I am sending you out to Stalingrad. There will be no questions, now, as a quick send-away party, a toast to Faustus, out of respect and hopes that he will return alive." He raised his glass up but then the phone rang at his desk. "Who would bother to call at this late hour?"

He placed his glass down and answered it.

Sebastian's eyes caught Claude's, but Hiro stood between them. The doctor felt the atmosphere thicken with hatred as their captain had their backs to them. As Metzger babbled on over the phone, Hiro looked directly at Sebastian and informed him,"I have been looking for you, Daemon, Grell Sutcliff asks of your being."

"Thank you for telling me," Sebastian replied with a mild smile.

"Yes, do follow me after this."

Claude was about to intervene but then Metzger turned around and placed the phone back into its place. They all had their eyes on him as he cleared his throat. "Orders from the Major tell that I am no longer subjected to offer one of my own to Stalingrad. Consider this a lucky night for all of you. Faustus, stay here and supervise those three that were sorted the records, as for you, Doctor, and you, Daemon, you are allowed to leave." He waved his hand. "Faustus, put this away and save it for another time."

-...-

Grell glared at the ceiling, he had the desire to burn larger holes into the tiles.

He wanted to leave, soon, somewhere that was not where he was. Souls still go uncollected, his human form has been maimed, and the brat infuriates him with every though crossed over him.

An hour.

One thought focused on Sebastian, next came across his need of escape, and now, he had the burning rage to murder Claude. The entire mission, at this moment, has become pointless. He may as well blow his cover and let the demons have their way with the humans, but then he would be charged with treachery and lose his occupation and place in the London Division. Maybe he could go on as a rouge Shinigami, anything.

But then he would live an eternity. What would he do then?

I can't even focus...

The door to his left opened and he saw Sebastian first. His ill-thoughts were cleared away as Hiro's chatters became louder to serve as an explanation,"Faustus got to him, Michaelis, it was horrible! Very horrible!"

"And when? Where?" Sebastian asked, going over to Grell's bedside. He was checking over him but he remained collected. Grell couldn't help but only stare up at him.

"The Records Warehouse. The afternoon, after 1600."

Sebastian nodded and looked around. After a minute of his attention being divided, Grell decided to look around as well, or at least as much as his body would let him see. On each wall was a slip of paper that was nailed to the wooden panels. Each slip had a strange symbol written in black ink. It took a moment for Sebastian to suddenly inquire,"You made a barrier?"

"Naturally, I always do, considering what I may run into away from home," Hiro said, voice evening out. The strange doctor went to his desk and went through a drawer, he took out more slips of the paper with ink and showed them to him. "Do you want them? They are designed to keep souls protected from demons, or at least weak ones."

Sebastian went to the desk and examined an individual slip. He took it and strode to the door to close it, he went to each window and drew the curtains, and, much to Grell's surprise, ordered the reaper,"Revert into your natural form. I'm sure that any of the demons here would sense your power."

"Eh?" Grell dumbly said. "No...how cam you trust 'im?"

"You're not trusting him, now are you? He never told you to change, I did," he reasoned.

"But...you're not-"

"Do it, Grell, because I am not nursing you back to health."

Grell was surprised by the statement but he reluctantly closed his eyes. His hand went to a strand of his hair an brushed it, his stroke was followed by brown fading into a brilliant shade of crimson red. Slowly, the rest of his hair became its original color and, at the second upon doing so, the soreness of his body began to ebb away into nothing. He gained confidence to sit up and was met with no resistance.

Behind the desk, Hiro was in awe at the transformation. Grell rolled his eyes and sighed, relieved that the pain was now gone. He reached under his shirt went the last of his strands had turned red, he checked his ribs and found them to be mended within a heartbeat.

"Finally," he murmured, muscles relaxing,"but how can you-"

Sebastian held up a finger for Grell to become quiet while saying,"Hiro, if you would be so kind as to leave us for a moment."

"Ah, yes, Michaelis, besides, I must...um, I must give the god his space," the doctor said quickly, he looked suddenly nervous. The man went around his desk and to the door, he immediately left, opening and slamming the wood within its threshold.

By the time the odd man's footsteps had faded away, Grell spoke out,"Why trust him?"

"Because he is one of those humans that are aware of your real form, and I assure you, he is aware of the demons that are in this facility. He will not be telling anyone about you, as much as he cares for his own safety, I gather that he would want you to get rid of them."

Grell's eyes furrowed. "Does he know about you? Being a demon, does he know you that way?"

"Not in the slightest, since I have my ways, this barrier does little effect to my own powers. It is there, and it does work-"

"What are your ways?"

Sebastian smiled to him, a finger going to his lips to tell him it was a secret. He sat at the edge of the bed. "I can't tell you and it won't help you on your investigation."

"...very well then. I won't tell you why I was in the Warehouse going through the Records-"

"I had conversed with my Master, I can only guess that you were looking through the Gypsy camp's records."

Grell scowled,"This is not a game, I am on a rather serious business and I would rather get it done quickly."

"Coming from you, it's surprising to hear you say that," Sebastian chuckled. He leaned forward and planted a chaste kiss on Grell's lips. Grell glared at him for insulting him He grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer to crush his lips against his. The demon quickly pulled away and wiggled his index finger in front of him. "Ah-ah, Grell, not here, not now."

"Yes, here, and yes, now. I demand compensation for my abuse from Faustus!"

"...I suppose this will be the closest to having compensation at all," he replied, a smirk crossing his lips.

He needed this, Grell only wanted to forget about everything at the moment.

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	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

A/N: I AM NOT DEAD...I WAS JUST BUSY AND UNINSPIRED! But anyway, here is an update! Enjoy! The story should start to pick up from here on out!

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_August 15, 1942_

_I can't find any more evidence on Harvey and Shock, though suspicions rise on Ciel. Sebastian can betray me. For all I know, a hundred demons could be roaming the place in disguise, just like these two. The brashness of Claude is one thing, what is a whole lot came after me? I want to return home so much now, but Sebastian, I feel that there is something about him that keeps me from leaving. To be in love with the enemy, that's quite the story, but I feel there's a great danger here._

_I sent a pigeon the other day to William under the request that I should know if any Shinigami besides myself are stationed at Auschwitz at all. It makes me anxious that he never replied to it, I fear I'm the only Shinigami here.  
_

About two months passed since Claude's assault. He felt very unfortunate to be under Faustus's order, as a result, he was forced to interact with the children; luckily, Hiro knew of when to keep his distance, so at least the task was bearable.

His time underground with the dead and dying little ones had slowly hardened him. As disgusting as he thought Hiro was treating them, he became less sensitive, often looking away whenever he was escorting a child for the experiments. It was during breaks that he would catch the time to visit the little Romanian girl, often giving her the most sweets Hiro originally had for the children.

Every so often he would reap with his chainsaw, though he would take the dying to where the little girl was and reap them properly from there to avoid the others from seeing him. He hoped that his chainsaw could barely be heard from such a distance, though little mattered, he still had to reap to show that he was working as a Dispatcher.

"She's blind so it's not like she would see you do the deed," Ciel told him once when he followed him around.

Grell had the urge to kick the brat, though he thought it best to wait for a much more appropriate time. The last thing he would want is to be given the bad side of the demon, though, by this point, he had to remain cautious. He knew he was playing with fire, he knew what Ciel and Sebastian were capable of; the Queen's guard dog was a sly noble in life, the chances of him being better at his previous occupation in the afterlife haunted Grell.

For all Grell could know, they could be manipulating him. Ciel could have been in the position of Alois, a young Nazi in Hitler's youth program, but he chose to look like a prisoner; that obviously was a red flag to Grell.

It was after his shift, when it became dark, that he came to the SS Barracks to Alois, the young boy was sitting at his desk though he had a parcel at the edge. When Grell walked in, the boy caught his attention by piping up,"Standartenjunker, there is a parcel for you here!"

Grell approached the desk, then reached for the box-like object. "Thank you."

He took it at hand and examined it out of curiosity, shaking it slightly to figure out what it was.

"Oh, also, Daemon left a message for, he wants you to go to the Record Warehouse at two hundred hours."

Grell nodded. "Danke."

Alois went to whatever he was doing, perhaps making a model of one of the planes that the Germans had. Grell cared less, for he was climbing up the stairs, reading the address of which the package came from. It had his full name on it, with official stamps and seals that qualified the it to enter the territory of the Nazis, but the returning address was missing.

When he entered his room, he went to the small table and took a knife that was left near the radio. He deftly severed the twine and tape, then removed the brown, paper covering. Within it was a black box; it was of a black, synthetic leather, obviously of high quality. Grell knew instantly what it was. It was sent from the Dispatch Society. He took off his gloves while settling himself on the chair at his desk, carefully placing the leather box on the redwood.

He turned on the desk lamp and stared at the familiar box from home.

With trembling fingers, he ran his hands down the edge of the lid, then he undid the latch. Upon lifting the lid, two letters were tucked over the content within the box. He took one and opened it.

_Dear Grell Sutcliff,_

_I hope that you are in good health._

_-William. T. Spears_

"As much as he was concerned for me before, he sure seems to lack it in words on paper," Grell mused. The letter, more of a note, was not the answer he expected when he sent that pigeon out the other day before. He sighed.

_I am alone in this..._

Besides his disappointment and lack of assurance of possible reinforcements, thoughts of William, even the love for him, were suddenly less common nowadays. It was as if Grell had forgotten all about him. As much as the pair had started a relationship, which was expected to last all eternity, Grell felt that there was always something lacking within it. He tried to brush off such thoughts, given that he had Sebastian with him. He could deal with any issue from William later; Grell is trying to stay alive at the moment, the brush in with Claude certainly alerted him of the dangers.

Willam's letter was put to the side, he took the second one.

_Hey Grell,_

_As much as I would understand you only took your chainsaw with you, I thought you would need a much more convenient weapon if you need to reap or have any fights with a demon. You can thank me later, I'm sure that you, being Jack the Ripper, would know how to use a switchblade. It's a modified death scythe, you can use it to reap souls and, lucky for you, I registered it under your name. Ain't I the best?_

_Anyway, it's been a while since I've seen you, things are quite quiet here. We all miss you, me, William, and even the ladies. Make sure to come back soon in one piece, alright? We hope you're playing it safe._

_-Ronald Knox_

_P.S. Harvey is now dead, they had to execute him for assaulting a nurse. The Administration had decided to make his case public, and because of that, Shinigami from the London Division are pulling out of their stations all over Europe; hopefully they'll pull you out to. Best of luck, Grell, write to me when you get the chance. They'll send you a message soon to a meeting place._

Grell read the last paragraph, he reread it once more. His heart skipped a beat, he wanted to jump for joy; he was going to be called back soon, some day, to go home. He can forget all about his mission soon! He wanted to dance, to sing, to something ecstatic. He smiled.

The words of Ronald made up for his miserable time as a guard at Birkenau. His hopes were high, and they became higher when he removed the paper covering of the switchblade the was in the foam cushion within the box.

Within it was a switchblade whose handle was of black ivory. He held the handle and then pushed the latch on the edge with his thumb, the blade switched out; it was impressively sharp, it gleamed under the lamp light. The handle was as long as the palm of his hand and was about four inches, the blade itself was four inches as well, and the width of it all was the same as his brush's handle. It was slightly heavy but can be tossed easily.

"Thank you, Ronnie," Grell murmured to himself, folding the blade into the handle and then tucking it away into his belt's pouch. He looked at the clock and then at the box. He went to the hidden slot in the room at the corner of his bed and lifted the boards to hide his items near his journal.

-...-

Sebastian waited patiently for Grell. The man came around the corner and quietly greeted him, though there was a bounce in his steps. Grell smiled at him and was at his side.

"Alois said to meet you here," Grell stated.

The man stared at him for a bit, then spoke,"I wanted to tell you that I have run an investigation for the description of Harvey, and if you had a picture, it would be easier, but, either way, I went through all of the photos of registered Polish prisoners to see if he matched what you told me."

"And?" Grell said, pressing the word, expecting to hear what he needed, but Sebastian sighed and frowned.

"It appears that any record of him was never here. He may have been really well in his disguise to fool the humans but Claude, on the other hand, may have spotted him head-on."

"That man, would it be safe to kill him? Oh, no, he's the same rank as you, it'll be too much attention towards him." He gave Sebastian a glance, then turned to look at the flags that were across the courtyard. "I presume that that's more than what you needed me here for, yes?"

Sebastian cleared his throat and tapped him on the shoulder, Grell looked at him once more and saw that he was offering a folder. "Your new task from the Captain, you are now under my watch. The task he wants you to do is in the folder, though the most you will to is execute some Jews. What troubles me is that you will reap them so I suggest you do your work as subtly as possible, demons may spot you."

"Execution?" He took the folder. "By my hands? That's rather a given that I'll be as noticed as an actress on stage if I do this."

"Luckily I will be there with you, just in case anything happens; I can root out the demons for you if you so much want."

The suggestion and willingness to help comforted Grell. Perhaps the demon truly cares for him, or he's trying to eliminate any competition he would possibly have with this chance of identifying the demons of Birkenau. Grell was slightly irked and yet relived by Sebastian's gracious actions, he thanked him. "You are truly a gentleman to a woman."

The demon gave a pleasant smile and also said,"You are allowed to leave this place when you are on breaks...the pass card to leave will be ready by tomorrow morning, you are given a week's break so you are allowed to use it and tour Auschwitz, the nearby town, for you leisure."

Grell's eyes lighted up. "Visit the town? We can go on...perhaps an outing together?"

Sebastian shifted around, slightly uncomfortably at the request, and then slowly said,"I suppose we can, a reward to you I say."

"Perfect, a date!"

He thought that his day couldn't have gotten any better than this. He began to see the upside of his time at the camp.

* * *

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	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

* * *

He slept in late for the first day of his week. He awoke in the afternoon when the sun's light had touched the upper part of the wall of his room.

It was a quiet start to his arousal, he took the time to change from his nightgown into some slacks and a button up shirt. His truck had been gradually unpacked and most of his clothes were in his wardrobe by this point of his residency in Birkenau. There were so many plain clothes, it nearly bored him to death, but he had to stay in style with the humans.

He wondered if he should wear suspenders, he timidly tried them and looked at the mirror. If anything, he looked almost like a pathetic paper pusher, especially with his rounded spectacles and hair tied back with a bow. He discarded the suspenders, tucked in his green, sleeved corduroy, and satisfied himself with a leather belt. He looked much more approachable, and that was the goal for the day.

A watch was left on his desk, he wondered if it were Sebastian's, and he took it without thinking, knowing he needed a way to keep track of time in case he overreached curfew by accident during his ventures around the Barracks.

With plain, dress shoes, the ones from a good sixty years ago (though he kept it maintained as he found them to be the only flats comfortable to him), were at the side of the threshold. He placed them on and opened the door, though he stopped midway, knowing he was forgetting something.

It was acceptable to carry guns on the premises. In fact, it was widely accepted, even encouraged. If he were to have another encounter with Claude, defenseless at that, he would rather carry it. He went back in and rummaged through his closet for the holster, he found it, with the Lugar, and flipped it to his belt, feeling the weight to be assuring his safety.

He had little to know how to use it but intimidation was what he needed to give.

-...-

There were few at break for the week, most were in uniform though they gave a wave at Grell, he waved back, smiling. He was heading for the tavern, he found three soldiers, similar in nearly every way, standing outside. He made eye contact with them all and they did to him as well; all three were tentative but were not speaking.

"Afternoon," Grell said, flatly.

They responded in unison and walked away, their attention still on him, even with their backs turned. He watched them, suspicious, though he entered the room anyway and found himself to be bombarded by a certain, charismatic doctor.

"Grell! There you are!" Came the almost squabbling voice of Doctor Hiro. Grell cringed slightly but accepted to being embraced by him. "Come, I wanna have you meet the others!"

Grell tried to deny the drinks, it was even early for him, he only wanted a quick meal. He held his hands up, shaking his head, but the man continued to pull him though a familiar, firm command resonated from the outside,"Hiro, please release Sutcliff."

He sighed in relief, the Japanese man immediately left Grell, knowing he should not be in between the two when they interact. Grell turned and rubbed his wrist, as Hiro had been a bit rough in handling, and faced Sebastian; he was dressed in his usual attire of black. Grell thanked him with a warm smile and, ignoring his hunger, decided to go to him instead.

"I thought you would still be in your room, but I suppose I as wrong," Sebastian told him as he, without telling him directly, beckoned Grell to follow. They rounded around several buildings, their goal reaching for the edge of the Barracks's perimeter. "Had you looked over the folder I had given you?"

"If it's for the executions, no."

Sebastian gave a low sigh,"You assumed they were for the Jews?"

He nodded.

"You should have read it, it's for a future assignment that you will be tasked with later in the year, or for the Spring. Ah, it is for the Spring. I suspect you would know why you have been doing menial jobs here, the typical guard work and assisting of other higher ranks, yes?"

_Well, with all the toiling I had done with the children and the laborers, I seemed to have forgotten what else I could do._

Grell shook his head.

"What about any advancements in your case with Harvey? Had you learned anything?"

Again, he shook his head.

Sebastian took his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose in slight frustration. He walked on, though, making a turn at a corner and then stopping at what appeared to be a wooden stable.

"It makes me wonder why you were chosen for coming here by your superiors."

"Oh, can't you see the good in me?" Grell begged teasingly, though he knew Sebastian was serious. "Oh, what dry humor."

They went inside, the light bulbs hung with a few flies buzzing here and there though it was a rather clean home for the animals.

The work we placed you through first is meant for you to become comfortable, as you are listed as a guardsman rather than an actual soldier. You will eventually be given the task of patrolling all around Birkenau. The method of which you will be patrolling would be by horseback, as it is the transportation for the off road routes. As standard, you must become familiar with your mount in order to perform at your best in the field."

Grell slightly agreed to this, it suddenly hit him that the first impression he gave to the Captain was that he was from some sort of mounted squadron. He mentally slapped himself, he should have formulated a better thought but he knew little to nothing of the war's actions and technology at the time. Now that Sebastian had taught him the knowledge needed to understand the conflict, he wished he should have said he had been working with the Gestapo in cities cleaning out Jews.

"Yes, it's also one of my tasks and, under my request, you are allowed to patrol with me when I do my rounds; it will give you more time here when we are not on duty to conduct your investigation, how ever long it may take."

Sebastian stopped Grell at a stall where a black horse was busily munching away at its fodder.

It looked healthy and well enough to do a variety of tasks. Sebastian opened the stall and ushered Grell inside, telling him,"This will be your own patrol and private horse to use, well, she is the Young Master's but, given our circumstances, she's under my care. Consider her a gift to you, Grell. You are free to use it when her when it's appropriate."

Grell stared at the demon, the man was smiling at him. The gift in the form of such an animal? It was absolutely flattering but, as it is a sincere gesture, Grell had no choice, he had to accept it. He smiled broadly and hugged him, making sure that they were unseen. Sebastian was being too nice, Grell could only know that it was a sly attempt to divert him from listing him as a suspect.

As dangerous as it would be, Grell decided to openly fall for him under hopes that the case of Harvey's madness would be solved immediately. Then again, he could forget all about the case, he remembered Ronald's letter.

He decided to keep it as a hush to Sebastian, for the moment. The demon embraced him as well and, after a moment, they released each other. Grell looked towards the horse. He deduced it to being a Thoroughbred, her haunches were strong and her back was just a bit narrow, just a bit. Her legs, long and nimble looking, told him that she was good for just about anything.

He approached her and her head picked up, ears pointed towards him, curious. As if recognizing him, she approached and nuzzled his chest, telling him that she was accepting his presence.

**_A Shinigami..._**

Grell gave her a pat on the head, between her ears. "Yes, that's correct-"

"I beg your pardon?" Sebastian suddenly asked, eyebrows quirking up.

"Oh! Um, nothing!" Grell said spontaneously, not turning around,"I meant it's a shame you trimmed the mane, though it's done correctly."

"Standard procedure, and safety, really," Sebastian shrugged away, Grell failed to know if the man caught the slip-up.

It hit him. He could have simply asked the animals what happened to Harvey, they would have made perfect witnesses. Grell stared at the horse, then out the stall's window where he could see a distant watchtower. It dawned on him that the case could be solved so easily. However, he would have to wait until Sebastian was gone, then he would ask of the details of the camp.

It made him laugh inside his head, though, that he would be hearing stories from the horse's mouth. He smiled.

"Are we done here?" Grell asked, he was stroking her ear. "I would love to go eat something."

"Yes, we are, I only had to have you acquainted with her before you start doing your patrols. I shall leave you, now, the Master calls me again and I must get your pass card so that you can leave the camp. Good day to you, Grell."

Grell watched Sebastian slink away, he was alone, though his stomach growled.

**_If you starve, go, Grell._**

"Well, I thank you for your concern," Grell murmured,"but I have a few questions that need answering..."

* * *

A/N: It has been shown in the manga that Shinigami have the ability to talk to animals though, to what extent, is unknown, I just thought it's be fun to play with it. For the most part, Grell finally gets a witness! *claps*

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	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

* * *

The mare stared at him, curious as to why he would ask anything of her.

"Ich bin Grell Sutcliff 1)," he uttered to her.

He went to her side and stroked her shoulder though he stayed close to her cheek, close enough so that she could hear him when he spoke. He didn't want to risk anyone hearing him or finding him talking to an animal, it would be a bit unusual. His bare hand went through her thin, summer coat, she was already warm from the heat.

_**I have none...the Master Child does not give me one...**_

Grell thought for a minute, then decided to call her something that would give her another fleeting significance to his life. "Angelina, I'll call you that."

_**Such a pretty name...**_

"It is," he agreed with her. "Now, have you known Sebastian for a long time?"

She stood by him, flicking her tail to be rid of the flies; her head immediately went into the barrel to eat the fodder. Even though she had her head tucked away, he could still understand her without her lips needing to make a physical sound. It was more of a feeling Shinigami can pick up on rather than verbal expressions, while animals can speak through their heats, Shinigami have to speak through their mouths.

_**For a while, I have been stationed here in this camp for about two years...we arrived in the summer. I was stolen, with my brother in the stall across from me, from a farm after it had been ransacked by the People...the People with the Red and Black Marks on their Shoulders; our last owner was murdered and in the midst of the confusion...Master Sebastian took us...**_

"So you never had military experience then," he deducted.

_**Of course I do, I had been pressed and branded to work ...though my brother and I are under the ownership of Master Sebastian. We are trained, just to assure you, and I have been on walks around the camp for the People in Black and White.**_

He thought for a moment of her words. "I must ask you now...do you know of any other Shinigami besides me? Do you know if there are any here?"

She brought her head up and then walked away, going for her window and peeking out. Feeling it was a silent cue, he followed her and was at her side, looking out the window as well to see the Barracks. Outside he could see drills and several soldiers marching in time, preparing themselves to stay in formation. The mare snorted once more.

_**There were a few...some would come by here once in a while to ride us, sometimes to talk to us, but more of these demons, they came and the Shinigami suddenly vanished. Though there was one, one before you, that stayed the longest...**_

"What was his name?"

**_Harvey, though I hear whispers from the birds that chatter above me, they used to speak of his name before you came._**

Grell felt that he was ever so close to the truth, even though it could have been a single meeting, he knew that the horse had what he needed, or at least a piece. He pressed her gently with words,"So what do the birds say?"

**_He was often found harvesting souls near the Polish prisoners, though he regularly moved between sections...I suggest that you find the birds, they will know; however, sadly, once the Fall comes in they will be going elsewhere-_**

A sign of two people struggling came out of nowhere.

**_Oh no, he's here again..._**

Grell was tempted to look, quickly drawing his gun but the mare quickly withdrew her head from the window and shoved her body in Grell, forcing him against the stall door. She brayed and he was about to aim his gun at her, though she stomped her foot, startling him.

**_Stay as you are..._**

The booming voice of a man was heard, it was followed by what sounded to be a girl whimpering. A few thuds more told the pair that the struggle was being dragged into the next empty stall over, whatever was going on was happening next door. The sliding door opened and then slammed shut, Grell's heart hammered in his throat; this was the typical scene of rape, one of which he had seen before and one he hated to witness, even though it was only by ear.

**_Don't-_**

"Shut up, you're just an animal," he hissed.

A muffled scream came out, Grell felt dread as he heard some clothes tear apart and the grunt of a man preparing to do what he can, to take advantage of the defenseless girl.

He wanted to cry with the girl, he heard her sobbing and the man groaning in delight. He tried to shut out the noise but his instincts came to play, he had to make it stop. In a fit of rage, he drew open the sliding door to the black mare's stall, when the gate rolled to the steel frame it caused a hammering sound that frightened the animals of the stables and ended the racket next door.

Cocking his gun, for he took it out of its holster, he stormed into the other, using his free hand to edge the rolling door to the side with enough force to bring another deafening thud! and send the soldier off of the girl he had taken with him.

**"Kommen Sie das fickt von ihr weg!**" 2) Grell roared, eyes wide. He pointed the gun at the soldier, who (much to his fury) turned out to be Doctor Hiro, and prepared to threaten him. His knowledge of a gun was poor but it was enough to send the assailant into a frenzy in the shavings of the stall, he scrambled out, fearful of being caught. Grell paid no mind to the youth and turned his attention to the girl.

Much to his horror, it was the little Romanian girl from the laboratory.

Dress torn and eyes wide, though he knew she couldn't see, she was in tears. Her hands were grasping at the wooden shavings on the ground, knowing that the man had been sent away; she managed to get to her knees, as she was laying on her back, and crawl. She tried to crawl to the door but she was met by the wall.

Grell watched her, sympathizing her, but was still in shock. Now he learned why she had been tucked far into the basement, far out of reach of no one. It was Hiro's toy, a personal toy, one where he used to keep himself satisfied. It was disgusting how the eccentric man was a pig, Grell wanted to vomit at the thought of the perverted bastard. He tried to erase the image of the sight, but he was thankful that he rescued the girl in enough time to prevent anything worse.

"That son of a bitch," Grell uttered, putting the gun away. He approached her by getting down to his knees; her hands went out to fumble with his buttons, she then reached to his face and, upon recognizing the touch, she embraced him tightly, sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder. He tried to calm her as he picked her up and carried her, thinking of where to hide her.

_I have to deal with this all over again..._

It was getting familiar, this scene playing before him but he forcibly shoved it out of his mind, uncaring for visiting a shadow of his past. He prepared to run but the sound of the mare came to him.

**_You can't be seen with her..._**

He looked over at her stall and remembered that he left the door open, he struggled but managed to close the door while saying,"Where should I hide her?"

"With me. Now put my prey down."

The English came from above, in the rafters of the stable. Grell looked up and saw Ciel, dressed in his dirtied clothes, sitting on the wooden beams like it was a place to perch himself upon. It struck him that Ciel had been watching the scene and placed no effort into helping the girl, it was typical of the boy but what concerned him the most was if he had been listening on Grell's half of the conversation with the mare.

He tried to hide his emotion from the astonishing discovery of finding Ciel, he growled,"What right do you have to call her prey? Don't tell me she signed a contract with you!"

"Alright then, I did not sign a contract with her but she did agree to a contract with me." He casually leaped down and stood before Grell, a pleasant smile upon his face. "Blind as she is, I find it much more appealing for a soul to be more innocent to things that they cannot see but know that they are severely pained from. Now, if you will let me, her contract is up-"

"What was your deal with her?" Grell quickly inquired, he was not planning on giving her up so easily.

Ciel sighed at the question, though he answered,"My contract to her was that she would be rescued from the pain that the man, Doctor Hiro, would put her through. Sebastian reported to me that you were here and, as I believe you have a bit of humanistic traits, it would be natural that I came to witness your...heroic act of safeguarding the girl. I say, children are rather naive to the way a contract works."

He held the girl tighter to himself, cradling her in his arms, as he pointed out,"You were a child when you were under Sebastian before. Here you stand-"

"She never specified in what way her rescue would come to be." He approached to stroke her hair. "And I never told her that I am supposed to be obligated to protect her, I just made the offer of it happening."

Grell glared at him.

_He let her suffer and he watched..._

"Indirectly, I did rescue her through you; you see, I ordered Sebastian to take you here since I knew that the Doctor would be having his weekly satisfaction here. Once you were at the designated spot, Sebastian came back to notify me of your arrival so I can be here. Upon counting on your conscience and empathy towards humans, naturally you, Grell, would come out of hiding save her. Since you saved her, and I was the one who caused it, I now get to consumer her soul."

It was just a small game, Ciel devised it and it was successful. He wanted to kill the demon boy before him but it would bring Sebastian's wrath upon him. Grell looked down at the girl as she wept into his shoulder, refusing to let go. The bright lighting caused her hair to stand out more than it did underground, he was in awe by the redness but then Ciel's hand went from the strands to her face.

"Please, let her down, I am starving-"

"I won't let you," Grell snarled viciously. He backed away from Ciel but, to his utter disbelief, he walked straight into someone. He turned and, with eyes wide, found the person to be Sebastian. Those eyes, suddenly a violent purple, bore into him as if they were commanding for Grell to put the girl down; and Grell placed her down to the ground, the worse was that he was willing to do so. "Sebastian..."

"It is rather rude to disturb my Master's meal." His hands went to Grell's arms, his own arms hooked them around the crook of Grell's elbows and proceeded to drag him a good distance. As this was happening, Grell began to kick and scream, the horses around him watched and began to whine as well; he watched as the boy leaned down and straddled the girl, preventing her from getting up and fleeing.

He heard her scream and he couldn't help it anymore, he averted his eyes as he wrestled with Sebastian.

"Let me go, you wretched creature!"

It was cruelty, torture, and Grell was reminded once more how these two, Ciel and Sebastian, were demons through and through.

"We will give you two choices, Grell Sutcilff," he heard Sebastian hiss into his ear as they rounded a corner and away from the sight,"you can take the pass card that I have prepared for you so that you can leave Birkenau, or rather all of Auschwitz for the matter, and report back to your headquarters that you had been unable to find what you were sent for here. Perhaps you may be compelled to give them a warning to never send someone down here once again...or you can stay here and bare witness to our haven while you stick to your duties as a Shinigami, though this choice can be based on your morality."

"But I-"

Sebatian chuckled,"Grell, you spoke to that beast in the stall did you not? While I only speak to the birds in particular, I'm sure that you learned that you are the only Shinigami in the nest of demons."

* * *

A/N: Well then...Grell sure is screwed!

1) I am Grell Sutcliff  
2) Get the fuck away from her!

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	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

* * *

Grell couldn't believe this.

He was basically being controlled. His emotions for the demon that restrained him had sapped. The life of someone innocent being stripped away for the amusement of a beast sickened him, it made him feel utterly violated as to walking straight into that dreadful boy's plan. His body shock and trembled, he shuddered, then he struggled once more.

"Unhand me!" He shouted frantically.

"And let you disrupt my Master's meal? I think not," Sebastian grunted, keeping him a firm hold on him. Grell's arms grew strained under the demon's grip; his human form was as weak as a human, it stood no chance in fighting the said demon with such a meek body. He suddenly ceased his movements, he could tell Sebastian was surprised at the pause.

He could care less of being the only Shinigami in the facility. At this point, he dared to face the many that he could not name besides Claude; whoever he may encounter, he will fight for his life, even though he was a guard he felt as if he were a prisoner of the demons here. He was an actress but he never favored the role of being the subjugated man.

"You've decided to calm down, how mature of you."

Sebastian could attempt to kill him for all he cared. Grell needed to show who had the real power in this world; this fight meant more than having his emotions being played at, it meant that he was here for the purpose of having authority over someone. He was never going to be caught up in an elaborate scheme by the demons, he resolved to never be manipulated once more.

His rage had given a burst of red to his dull, brunette hair; his teeth had grown significantly and were sharp to the touch; his stature's bulk had grown; his powers came back to him.

He felt he was revived. With his renewed strength, and under the influence of his change, he slammed the back of his head into Sebastian's face; the attack left the demon fazed just long enough for Grell to slip out of his grip. He rounded the corner to see that Ciel was standing over the dead girl, her soul was consumed but it mattered no more to him.

He sprinted, knowing Sebastian was hot on his trail and that his energy could have been detected by the other demons by now; it would be a dangerous situation, he knew of it, if he were discovered.

His plan was thought up quickly, as though it were on the spot; he would take Ciel as a hostage and then confront Sebastian with the boy in tow. It would be considered a rather dumb move but it was a stepping stone for Grell nonetheless. On the plus side, as demons would be searching for Grell's energy to kill him, he may as well round all of them up and let all of them meet one another and begin a bloodbath.

"I'm taking the boy!" Grell bellowed, arms swooping in and taking Ciel instantly.

Grell knew all too well that Ciel would order an immediate recovery. The Shinigami reached to a bundle of hay and shoved it into the boy's mouth and ran once more to the other entrance of the stable. The boy was wrestling against him, but Grell fought over it, his agility taking him to the rooftops. He paused momentarily and, annoyed by Ciel's struggles, he gave a firm headbutt to his nose; it caused him to bleed heavily and become fazed enough to stop moving. Grell looked at his surroundings once more.

The only place he could think of were the prisoners' homes. In an instant, he took off, heading towards the closest one, for the Polish prisoners.

-...-

He dove over the fence that separated the SS Barracks and the road that passed between both sections of Birkenau. He felt lucky for the officers not spotting him but he cared less at this point; if he created a scene either way, people would serve as a distraction for the demons that would pursue him.

The time in the air was cut short when he landed in the newly created holdings for more prisoners, as expansion of the camp was in full swing at the time. He ended up in a laboring area where workers were busying themselves in the masonry of the homes for future prisoners. Those people noticed him, for his feet caused such a thundering noise, it made them look to see him.

Tongues of the Polish men were murmuring and obscured until he turned his attention to the boy.

Ciel nearly fell out of his arms but he repositioned him before deciding to lug him over his shoulder like a sack of grain.

Grell ignored them all, he swerved around a partially constructed corner and then, glad to have found an opening in the gates with guards looking the other way, he burst into a sprint and ran once more towards the Polish sector.

Many watched him, some thinking that he was making a break for it, an escape, and were cheering him on.

"Run for it!" He heard them. He decided to run through a group of prisoners being marched down an open lane; he shoved them over, they cried, and the guards grew alarmed, instantly drawing their guns to shoot, but he ran on.

He went through many twists and turns until he reached a fence that retained the Polish prisoners. Ciel's fighting body hung against him but he pressed on, easily leaping over the fence and finding himself in the empty space of the Polish section. He went deeper into the area and, after a few rows, kicked open the door to a random barrack.

Dozens of men, who were within the building he had barged into, had their eyes on him. He entered and they backed away, knowing well that his clean clothes meant he was in the SS. He tried to approach but they cringed. Instantly, he threw Ciel down and summoned his chainsaw, much to the humans' utter confusion and shock.

He glowered at the boy as he revved up his machine; Ciel removed the hay from his mouth.

The boy brushed out the last of the vegetation and shouted,"What are you going to do! ? Kill me! ? Kill me for simply living! ? You've heard Sebastian, you're the only Shinigami here, you may as well leave and let us keep the souls for our sustenance! There is a good reason why there's none left!"

"Then I'll butcher every demon in this place," Grell challenged him,"I'll slaughter them mercilessly, that way souls here would suffer less than they would with you hell hounds!" His chain's blades rotated rapidly, he was ready to behead the boy before him, but he was irked at the smile; he grimaced. "You disgust me, you noblemen always have..."

"So I see that your past life was very cruel then?" Ciel chuckled over the roar of the engine.

His lips twitched in frustration, he had to kill someone, he had to kill Ciel; he raised his chainsaw high. "You know nothing of me!"

"Well, I suppose if you kill me now, you'll never know of what happened to that person you're looking for."

Grell momentarily paused, completely baffled by the sudden mention. "Harvey-?"

But then a crowd of prisoners from all around him swarmed him; the ones that had meat on their bones took firm grasps of his arms, halting him from plunging his beloved weapon into Ciel. Somewhere, along the scuffle, someone had brought a blow to his head, causing him to release his chainsaw. It clattered on the stone pavement but someone and managed to turn it off. He regained his focus and struggled against them as those who were smaller aided Ciel in getting to his feet.

Grell began to realize how much of a scene he had made, for he held the appearance of an Officer and, at the alarming sight of a fellow "prisoner" (let alone him being a child), they sought to favor Ciel's side. He shouted in Greman,"Unhand me!"

His attention withdrew from Ciel but he could hear his voice above the crowd saying,"Hiro has-"

A fist flew into his face, and then another went to his head. Soon enough, in the midst of chaos, he was being assaulted by the prisoners. It felt like hours to him and, eventually, they had some sense to strip him of his gun and death scythe; while they were distracted at the removal of his holster, as only two could hold him, his fists flew up and he punched the nearest man in the jaw, he threw another one at the second man, sending him into the group surrounding him.

His holster was taken but he managed to take his gun out of the leather holster; he then pointed it randomly at some and, upon seeing him with the firearm at the ready, they all fell back to get a good distance, hands going up.

He roughly said,"I pity all of you that fail to know what I am," and he backed towards the door.

In the midst of the fighting, Ciel had taken the chance to disappear somewhere, but for now, he had to leave; taking the boy hostage was useless. His hand reached for the knob and twisted it, then he opened it and walked backwards faster. When he was out in the open, he slammed the door shut and glanced around to find that the area was strangely empty.

He traversed back the way he came, no sign of the boy was seen and, once getting himself over the fence and to the lane that separated the camps, he took on his boring form of a human. His gun was tucked into the band of his pants behind him and he contemplated on what he should do at this point; his hand went to his nose to wipe blood from it, he sniffled and walked on, ignoring everyone once more.

He had caused quite the commotion as he saw numerous soldiers running and looking for the Shinigami that caused a rush of excitement. He avoided many of the people and walked on.

_Ciel mentioned Hiro...as much as I'd hate to see him, he must have been hiding something from me._

His attention to the thoughts of his original goal drew him away from the terror of having dealt with Sebastian earlier. He had to figure out a way to calm himself, he knew that being impulsive would lead to a mistake, and a mistake would cost him his life, especially in a prison full of demons. Without his own death scythe, he had to make due with eluding the demons around him with his disguise while acting within of the social norm.

Unconsciously, he had walked himself to the laboratory.

He wanted to leave but he felt that he had to stay. Above all that had happened, he felt pity for the young girl whose soul was ripped from her; he wanted to avenge her suffering in someone accessible to him, and the person who may have been tied in with Harvey's case was the same individual he would savor murdering with his bare hands.

These feelings, the ones that have pervaded him in the goal of preserving the well being of the Romanian girl, had confirmed to Grell himself that he held empathy for humans; he swore to himself he would rid the place of its demons, one way or another. But for the meantime, he would vent his anger out on the bastard that drove the girl into a contract.

Revenge was something humans sought after, clearly he understood the concept of it now; it rekindled a burning passion he once shared with a certain woman that was the epitome of red, he thirsted for it, just like the deceased Angelina of years past. For the first time, however, he was doing it out of the pity for someone and not himself.

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	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

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Within minutes of stepping into the building of where experiments were held, the alarms had suddenly went off. Every able bodied guard, as standard procedure, had left their post, leaving one to stand in place so that control would be held in whatever section the prisoners were. Grell breezed passed a group of young men as they made haste for the outside.

The alarms blared, for speakers were inside the building as well. Women secretaries covered their ears or ignored it, seemingly fixated on the paperwork. He approached a middle aged brunette whose hair was tied in a tight bun; she looked up at him in curiosity and asked,"Grell, what do you need?"

They had been introduced and had known one another for the time he had spent here with the children. He usually gave a warm smile and gossiped with here just like a coworker would back in London but today, he had death literally painted across his face. It worried her, that cold, searing look, but she worked up the courage to look at him directly. He answered,"Where's Hiro?"

"Down in the labs. I saw him take a little girl with him earlier...but he didn't come back with her." She looked downcast.

That look to Grell she was aware or suspected Hiro of violating that Romanian girl.

His lips twitched in anger, his teeth bore and he stormed away from her. A few men ran by, bumping him into the wall, but he went on, going for the elevator. His finger mashed the button, his rage reaching its limit. He needed someone to die, he wanted blood. He was going to get blood.

The familiar _ding!_ of the elevator told him to step in, and he did. When he descended down, it felt as though the box was going slow, teasing him and testing him for his patience. He wanted to get this over with. His hand went to his arm, he gripped it and then gritted his teeth.

He needed a way out of here but he couldn't come back to the Dispatch Society without his death scythe. For all he knew, those damned prisoners have hidden his chainsaw; wrenching it away would alert demons. Worse off, he knew that Ciel would most likely have it himself. His hand went to his gun, today, he felt that he was going to figure out how a projectile death scythe would work.

-...-

"Hiro," he sang sadistically as the door opened, he found himself in the hell hole of where the children died and rotted away. His gun was taken out of his holster and was raised up near his head. He walked, shoes tapping against the stone floor; instincts told him Hiro was on the same floor. The alarm from the outside was muffled in here, he was thankful, it was giving him a headache.

The first place he checked was the office. His free hand went to the door to turn the knob but it was locked in place.

"Oh Doctor Hiro," Grell chimed pleasantly this time. He raised his foot and, with a powerful kick, he burst the door open, forcing the lock to give way. A yelp was heard and Grell rushed in, gun aimed at whatever moved.

Inside the small office, Hiro had cowered himself in a corner between the wall and some boxes of files. Grell approached, hand going to Hiro's thick hair, as the other man pleaded,"No kill! Please! I'll give you anything, just please, don't kill me!" But then the gun was aimed at his forehead, the human froze and Grell gave a smile, it was the twisted kind, the one that told you that someone had a screw loose.

"Don't kill you?" Grell mocked him. "You forget that I'm death!" He clubbed the man in the face with the butt of the gun. "You pathetic man!"

The hit was on Hiro's lips, instantly busting it and causing him to bleed. "No!"

He had to think of a punishment. An idea sprang and he dragged the man by the hair out of his office. The children were watching in shock but they stayed away, Grell stepped on, taking the struggling man with him. He went on until he found the cell in which the little Romanian girl had lived for the last moments of her life. The gate was left open. He checked Hiro quickly and took the ring of keys away, he clipped it to his own belt before throwing Hiro inside the cell and slamming it shut.

Hiro fell face first into a puddle of murky water, Grell snorted at him and stood from a distance; immediately Hiro whirled about and, on his knees and leaning against the bars, he blurted,"I didn't know you favored her!"

"That's not the point!" Grell shouted over him. Hiro cowered but his felt firm to the bars.

"Then what do you want! ?" Hiro screamed as Grell approached him, the barrel of the gun was at his forehead once more. The safety was undone.

Grell aimed the gun at Hiro. "Nothing much, just target practice..."

Hiro's eyes grew wide and he threw himself away from the gate just as Grell fired a round, the bullet burrowed into the concrete. The man in the cell shouted and cowered into the corner. It was Grell's first shot and he missed. He reached his arm in and fired once more, but Hiro dove away and the bullet missed. He aimed and was ready to shoot, but Hiro held up his arms, panting out,"I'll tell you everything about everyone, even of Sebastian and Claude...and that man you're originally here for."

"The case doesn't matter to me anymore," he firmly said. It honestly wasn't. Not anymore.

"Please, at least let me tell you who the demons are..."

He shot once more, barely missing Hiro. "To tell you the truth, this is a death scythe, the moment a bullet grazes you, your soul shall be reaped; you won't live through mortal injury."

Hiro began to scream at an instant, believing a quick confession would bring Grell to cease his sadistic game,"S-SEBASTIAN! C-CLAUDE!" He dodged once more. "THE THREE WITH THE PURPLE HAIR...OH GOD!"

The doctor ducked, shouting once more,"THE LITTLE BOY WITH ONE EYE, AND ALOIS, THE TRAINEE IN THE BARRACKS-"

And then Grell stopped, he wanted to see anything more from Hiro, the man had cowered in the corner once more, hands covering his ears and eyes shut; he crouched and whimpered, he was utterly defenseless. Grell experienced at first hand what it was like to have someone fearing you, it was from the time handling the prisoners; he felt nothing towards them, only pity for their poor souls being ushered into the maws of demons.

For the man before him, Grell tasted the sweet sadistic pleasure he had long been of absence from since the time of Angelina. Having such power over this man, just like those whores, was simply refreshing; it renewed him, in a way, so that the small ember within his mind had burst forth into a flame of passion. The passion was fueled by watching the man literally being faced with death.

Out of whim, he shot, this time, with a careful aim.

The bullet went to the man's feet, though it only missed him by a air.

Hiro screamed out like a wild animal, he instantly began to weep.

"Please...forgive me," he rasped in sheer terror.

Grell smiled, he hissed,"Are there anymore demons you wish to name?"

"Those are all I know of...Grell, please..."

Hiro's eyes were closed.

He wanted to murder the coward, but before he could unleash the bullet that would kill him, Hiro began to rapidly confess his account,"Another of your kind was here, and that man I had run into before, during my time in France after leaving Nanking. Harvey, yes, Harvey, I met him before! The man saved my life once, that is how I came to know of the existence of Shinigami."

Reluctant, and knowing Hiro was not looking at him, Grell lifted the gun away.

Hiro raved on. "My transport accidentally set off one of the pipe bombs during my route for Germany. After the explosion, I laid there, dying, waiting for death, until Harvey came along; he granted me life, saying that I would be destined to do something.

"He housed me during the war, he and another, one with blond and black hair, nursed me to health-"

"His companion's name was Ronald?"

Hiro nodded. "Y-yes, that was his name."

It struck Grell that Ronald would know of Harvey as he would most likely have been the last person to see him. He began to wonder why the Administration would send Grell alone instead than to have him with company; there was something wrong, as if Grell had been played against by his superiors, but for what reason? The rage had grown and was added with this discovery.

_Were they trying to get rid of me?_

Grell barked,"Keep speaking! What happened next? !"

Hiro jumped and spoke once more.

"Ronald left by the time I had healed. Harvey had gotten a new assignment to come here to Birkenau to do what you have been trying to do, safeguarding the souls from demons. He explained that demons have invaded and ran off every Shinigami in Germany from the camps, he thought he could handle it. Coincidentally, I was heading for this same facility for my experimentation and research, also to fill in the space until the next doctor arrives." He shuddered, scared. "We worked together, reaping and handling as many souls possible, him having a place to hide away from the demons, he even had a list and had learned who were the ones to hunt for.

"It was a smooth system we had, me hiding and covering for him while he saves the souls of the innocent; it was out of repayment and friendship I had with him."

_Harvey must have known Hiro's position and may have simply Hiro into his aid by befriending him._

"He hid in the cell across from here but spent his time with me, mostly. It was going well until the little boy with one eye began to sneak here with souls and discovered Harvey by chance, naturally, the boy told his demon slave Sebastian to take care of him. Out of Harvey, Sebastian extracted a list in which the demons he knew...if Sebastian and the boy were not on the list, he would have played Harvey against the others to ensure only he and his master would obtain the souls; he would later kill Harvey. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

"I know not of what he did to my friend, but he had grown insane, they must have broke his mind. Luckily, he had enough will to come to me for help, and the last of it was to let him escape; so I did, but then Claude found us as we were leaving with Harvey's personal items, the list and death scythe. You hold the death scythe in your hand, Grell..."

He moistened his lips, he voice hoarse from his story.

"Claude, thinking of his own plan, allowed Harvey to escape that night as Sebastian had rendered him useless for any real purpose; he took the gun for himself but I suppose you stole it back. Suddenly, a third party came about, his name was Rolf Schock; he became involved and, out of impulse, Claude murdered him right before us by using the death scythe when Rolf began to make a scene. He then turned it on to Harvey and shot him in the head, I am familiar with the effects of a death scythe...and I fear it the most."

He let out a sudden sob.

"I let my friend die before me...and as a human, I could do nothing to help him. The most I did...was bring Harvey myself to Berlin, it was a long while but, given my status and using Rolf's body as an excuse to go through Germany itself (his body was disposed of at a mass grave while passing Belsen), I went through the trouble of going to the place of where I met Ronald, in France; to my luck, the man was still there and was about to leave, I presented him Harvey's body...we cried over him, and for the last time I saw him, I watched Ronald take him away."

He looked directly at Grell, Grell stared at him.

Ronald knew, he knew of the dangers of Birkenau and reported it to the Administration; he felt ultimately betrayed for what felt to be the second time today. For all he knew, the Administration had sent Grell to a death trap with the knowledge, but for what reason. He felt flashbacks coming to him; he understood why William came to him in hystaria, he understood why Ronald gave a cautious warning about the concentration camps, he understood why Ronald was never at the ferry to say good-bye.

He began to question if his requests for backup were denied or ignored.

"...I have said what I know, and I suppose that was all you needed, hai? 1)" He asked quietly.

Hiro, now having to calm over the time the gun had been lifted, brought himself up from his corner. He crawled to the middle of the cell and was on his knees; he brought himself to sit and face Grell directly. Tears were streaming from his eyes but he had managed to silence his cries.

"As I have been brought up, I suppose my real crime of violating the girl must be atoned for. The things I have done here were not of whim but for the name of science, I am not guilty of such, I will admit that," he stated confidently.

Grell nipped at his lip. "Hiro," he uttered grudgingly,"I may be cruel but...you may have a use for me."

Hiro's eyes lit up with curiosity, not fear. "Much more to torture me through?"

"Killing you would worsen the damage I am about to do, what is your position?"

He answered,"I am of the same rank of Sebastian and Claude, I am Obersturmführer 2) at this facility though my ranking back home is of a Taichou 3)."

"Then consider yourself lucky, I'll let you live; your rank gives you an important reason for me to keep you alive," Grell said. He holstered his revolver and then went to the cell door, he took the keys and unlocked the door, he swung it wide open. "Get up!" Hiro immediately got to his feet. "You are of the Japanese, I hear they have honor and loyalty."

"For my dear friend, I will follow you." He bowed deeply, sharply, it reminded Grell of William. He gritted his teeth and began to walk away.

_Sebastian had used me as a pawn for whatever he was trying to do, and now I shall have my own. I will bring this place down and then I will come after everyone that had lead me here._

"Come, we'll start tonight."

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Translations:

1) Yes?  
2) First Lieutenants  
3) Captain

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	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

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Grell allowed Hiro to return to his office but, once inside, they locked the door behind themselves. From there, Grell sat himself in a chair behind his cluttered desk while the doctor went through his boxes to pull out a large, rolled up sheet of paper.

"Clear the desk," Hiro instructed, Grell instantly got up and shoved the documents and stacks of other materials off of the surface. He pushed away the chair to allow Hiro to have space to stand next to him in the cramped room; the Japanese man spread the paper across the desk, revealing a rather detailed map with various drawings and markings that noted the possible areas the demons prowled and, most of all, where to reap without being noticed.

Hiro pressed a finger over the Laboratory on the map. "This is where we are. Because of your scene from outside that set off the alarm, all of Metzger's Obersturmführer will group in the office to give orders."

He frowned on response. "We've been down here for an hour, what good will their position be of now? They might have scattered and done a search of everything by now."

"This will be a good chance for you to catch one of the demons in the midst of the search. Claude is an Obersturmführer but he is the only one ho has direct assistance out of the three Metzger has," Hiro explained,"Sebastian and I are different cases. Sebastian, given his position, is more of a man to run errands for Metzger while I handle the laboratories-"

He gave him a look that doubted his rank, Hiro shuffled for a moment.

The doctor showed Grell his patches to confirm this. He cleared his throat," Yes. Now, the purple haired triplets will be the one doing the dirty work of directly handling anything under Claude's orders. Perhaps you can start with them first, work your way to Claude; there are more of them and, when they are gone, you will have an easier time handling Claude yourself since he will have no familiars to distract you."

Grell nodded. "Yes, but him alone, he murdered Harvey so whether or not the triplets are there does not matter. For the most part, my death scythe is gone, I want to say Ciel, the boy with one eye, had taken it-"

"Then utilize your gun, make the killings look natural."

He shook his head. "Sebastian will know what I am going to do-"

"Sebastian knows everything but you personally have no idea what you are capable of pulling off, Grell." Hiro placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at him directly. "As long as you have a plan, and rely on the chances everything will fall into place, this place will be rid of the demons."

Grell looked at the map once more. He saw red circles going off to the side, to where the laborers were in the rock query. He followed the red dotted lines back to where the entrance to Birkenau was and retraced it with his eyes once more to confirm the path. There was a second line, one of purple (and labeled "triplets"), that showed a likely route of where Harvey's adversaries would go; beside it, the red line followed.

"What is this?" His traced the purple line. Hiro stared at it, then gasped when his memory came to him.

"This one is one of Harvey's plans to murder the demons, it was a path that he was expecting them to follow so that he may separate them from the others within these walls," he explained,"at this point, during their search, you can probably draw them outside there and take your chance at them."

Grell bit his lip. He would have to reveal his true form once more but he would rather do it at a safe distance to give him time to release his powers at the right location. He wondered what he could use to get himself out there quickly, his human form does not have the ability to go far or too fast in a short amount of time. His thoughts went to the mare in the barn, he could use her for this.

He took out his watch and saw that it was ten passed seven, it would be dark at the surface by now.

"I'll start with them first."

-...-

The rush of air came to him when his steed ran off into the setting evening. Hiro allowed Grell a safe passage outside of Birkenau, giving the excuse to the guards that the telephone lines were down and that a message had to be sent immediately to another Obersturmführer at Auschwitz as soon as possible. He now raced helter-skelter down the dirt path with little light to guide him, he had been down the path before and knew where to go.

He could hear the mare's breathing becoming rapid but he tightened his grip to the reins and kicked harder, encouraging her to move faster. It had been decades since he had rode an animal anywhere, the feeling was exhilarating but his thoughts were on his plan for the most part.

"I will leave you at the rock query, once there, I want you to hide anywhere and avoid the demons that will be coming," he instructed Angelina.

She gave no answer but he knew she understood his instructions. The scenery of wide, open grassland converted to gravel, rocks, and boulders, along with cars and other machinery for the laboring area. No one was out at this time of night, for the laborers were inside.

The alarms had ceased but he was confident the search for the escaping prisoner, as they all presumed, was still active. He reached the middle of the query, dropping his horse from a gallop into a canter, then slowly into a trot and then finally a walk. She halted when he pulled back at the reins gently, then he dismounted.

**_You will be safe, yes?_**

He nodded. "I will call you back when it's over, now go!" He slapped her flank and she left him alone. Grell watched as her form disappeared among the piles of gray, then he turned his attention to his gun, he faced the concentration camp in the far distance. His hair became bright red, the brown disappeared, and his teeth shaped themselves into their natural states. He felt his power surging through him once more and, at the cost, a darker power radiated towards him in response.

His hand automatically went to the Lugar and drew it out.

_This must be insane,_ he thought to himself, _facing three demons and using a projectile death scythe...I may as well be a human going into combat with them without a weapon at all._

The strength of another force became stronger, it tripled when two more came into the radiation. As he had expected, and hoped, Claude had released the three demons to go after Grell. He clutched the gun and waited, heart pounding. It was like being a meal ready for a lion to come by and consume him.

They were coming close, he knew that all three of them surrounded him in a strategic way to box him one place. Soon enough, just as he had taken a breath and blinked once, the first of the three purple haired demons presented himself in front of him; he had emerged from behind one of the trucks, he held a pistol and had it aimed at him. Grell looked to his left, the other had found it fit to show himself atop one of the piles of rubble with a sword brandished out and ready to go.

The third was behind him, he glanced at that one to see that he carried, for some bizarre reason, a rocket launcher. Grell shuddered, he knew that the one carrying that size of a weapon would blow everyone up, then again, Sebastian used kitchen knives as a weapon in the past.

"So you are the Shinigami we are looking for," the demon with the pistol said,"quite brave of you to come out here by yourself...alone."

He recognized them. They were the demonic servants of Alois Trancy; they were Timber, Canterbury, and Thompson.

"Boys, I've killed you all before," Grell responded cockily, though he was a bit frightened. Sebastian was there before, now he was alone.

Timber undid the safety lock, Grell did the as well. "Just drop your weapon, Shinigami, and we will let you live-"

And then Grell fired, taking the chance of Timber speaking as a distraction. He had aimed at the head and it was an effective shot; the demon's hat blew off and he slumped over, falling to the ground, dead. The others reacted instantaneously, the one with the sword, Canterbury, approached him but Grell immediately backed away to avoid the parry.

He worked up his aim and took another fire at Canterbury, though he was quicker and he moved away but the bullet had taken his hand away from his sword, causing it to fly out of his grip. Grell growled menacingly and Canterbury drew out a pistol, but the Shinigami was faster and fired once more, this time, to the head.

The demon dropped dead and Grell's attention was at Thompson.

Before he could fire off the rocket launcher, Grell instinctively took aim and fired; he managed to get another head shot despite the distance between them. He let out a shaking breath and examined his work. It was rather quick, it was barely a fight; for some reason, he had a feeling that they were holding back on him. Perhaps they wanted to take him back alive so, in order to do so, they had to be gentle but why bring back the creature that would take away your food source?

"This was too easy," he said disbelievingly as white strands began to flow from their chests. It felt like déjà vu, for he had been the demise of them before. The thought struck him; why were they alive? Wasn't the entire Trancy house and servants supposed to be dead? Alois Trancy and Claude Faustus, they were alive once more but he was sure they had perished all those years ago.

Canterbury was the closest, he knelt down beside him to watch his renewed Cinematic Record.

What he had found stunned him.

_We were all dead, floating about in space without knowing where we were. We feared it would be as such until we were brought to Hell, we were revived under Hannah; remarkably, she survived, I know not how. She gave us, including Claude and Master Alois, another chance at living but we were all weak, even her. She spent the last of her powers to bring us to life however, at the moment, we are all as weak as humans._

_The time of our revival coincided with the time of World War II breaking out. All of us, with Claude serving Alois, had feasted over the souls of the dead and dying but we need constant supplies to continue living. Demons from all over the world were gathering in war-torn places to have the fresh supply, Shinigami were, naturally, fighting everyone._

_When word came out about mass gatherings and slaughterings of souls, Hannah decided to have us in concentration camps working alongside humans to consume the innocent. It was hard at first, for all of us had to hide our powers from the Shinigami that protected the souls; we were to do our daily consummation in secrecy, it felt as though we were prisoners ourselves, but then Claude had gotten brave, we all gotten brave._

_We were planning their demises until other demons came along and butchered those Shinigami. Those demons came and gone so quickly, soon enough, others demons at other concentration camps were doing the same. We began to realize that this was becoming a closed system and we learned from other demons that this was the idea of one, of Sebastian Michaelis and Ciel Phantomhive._

_Since we were weak, and those demons knew, they reported us to the two. Instantly, they came about and settled themselves here in Birkenau; I never figured why but perhaps the reason would be that we were too weak to fight against them head on, we even feared Shinigami for the most part. They let us live but it was like a struggle between us and those two; we outnumber them but they overpower us._

_We feared that one day, Sebastian, or even Ciel, would come about and decide to kill us once again. We still consumed the souls, and much more freely, but we were at unequal terms with the two. Eventually, we just avoided one another. Time passed and our powers were slowly, but surely, returning; tonight is the night we will take control._

_Metzger was taken cared of by Claude, we made it look like an accident since we were going to use an escaped political rival had done it; the Shinigami setting off the alarm was good enough to be distraction. By rule, Claude should be in the process of being promoted to Hauptsturmführer *1. We were going to turn our attention to Sebastian and Ciel but then a Shinigami revealed it self; we were ordered to fight it but-_

The Cinematic Record ended right there. He figured that if the triplets were this weak, Claude shouldn't pose much of a problem as he may have thought. He had to pursue Alois later and Hannah, she was just an afterthought at the moment.

He would wait for another chance to go after Claude, for tonight, it was his turn that would leave a warning to those damned demons. He whistled for his horse and, sure enough, she came to his side from around another corner. He gave her a pat on the nose before getting on, knowing that he would confront Sebastian with renewed thirst for blood.

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Translations:

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	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji

A/N: Ah...today is my birthday~!

12/12/12

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The crimson machine was perched upon the desk, Ciel ran his hand across it's smooth engine before gingerly touching the blades out of curiosity.

"Don't touch that," Sebastian stated rather than warned, Ciel ignored him.

"You will use this tool to dispose of Claude Faustus. Up until now, his powers should have been restored to some extent, though the rate of which he consumed is beyond my knowledge."

They were in Hiro's office, the one in the Barracks. They had claimed it for themselves and, resulting from that, removed the barrier the doctor had placed so that when Grell would come for a haven to recover from an injury, there would be nowhere safe to heal. They knew he had revealed his true form earlier but, knowing Claude, they resisted the temptation to pursue him and opted to stay, letting the events play out on their own.

Sebastian was still cleaning out the blood from his nose, another reason why they had went to the clinic. The demonic servant was pressing his nose to keep it in place as it slowly healed, he would have gone out to feast but, given his situation, he would rather not. He pinched his nose with a cloth and held his head up, intending for the bleeding to stop.

"Perhaps you should have allowed, or convinced Grell to side with us," Sebastian began.

The boy got up from his chair and went to the sink to wash his face free from the grime and sweat that have accumulated over his time as playing prisoner. "Oh? Why so?"

Before, questioning Ciel's decision would be horrific but now, as times had changed and with Ciel allowing Sebastian a certain extent of freedom, the butler was permitted to speak his mind. He had done so in the past but never to the definite choices Ciel had made.

"Having him against us will do no good. While we may have his chainsaw, he still has the Lugar. If you would have let him join us and eliminate Claude and all the rest, we could have turned on him and end him ourselves."

The water stopped and Ciel stared at him as if he were a madman. He grabbed the nearest towel and dried off his face. "End him ourselves and let the entire Dispatch Society come after our heads? I believe it would have been better to have him fight us." He reached into his shirt and pulled out several letters, all of which were addressed to Grell. Sebastian lowered his head and looked. "Judging from this, they believe he is faring well here in Birkenau."

"That would explain these..." Sebastian reached into his messenger's pouch and pulled out a series of letters, these were addressed for the Dispatchers of the London Division. "He has been asking for reinforcements, he believes he is not faring well himself."

Ciel laughed at the irony. "You were intercepting letters as well? How amusing..."

"Cutting off communication, very well played. But mind you, I had to let him send reports to the Berlin Division to ensure that he is doing his duties as a Shinigami." He handed the letters to Ciel, the boy took them all and stuffed them into a drawer of Hiro's desk. Sebastian took note of this. "Are you giving Hiro a death sentence?"

"Perhaps so...that annoying pervert bothers me very much," he sighed, shrugging. "Killing him out of him will very much reflect Madam Red and, as a result, he would automatically be taken away. More than likely, they won't replace him. Sebastian, after you have dealt with Claude, be sure than Grell will rummage through Hiro's desk. The man has already killed the triplet demons-"

There was a clatter of metal pieces from a closet, and then a small,_"Shit!"_

Sebastian removed the cloth from his nose. The bleeding had stopped through it was slightly crooked, Ciel grimaced at it but their attention was now on the supply closet. Getting up from his chair, Sebastian strode over to the door, his hand on the door knob. Ciel watched quietly but glared, trying to figure out who of all people could be listening in on them.

The door was tossed open, from the darkness within revealed one of the trainees in the Hitler Youth program. It was Alois Trancy.

"Alois!" Ciel shouted in shock. Sebastian immediately restrained him, rounding around him and tucking his arm back. The blond squeaked and tried to fight off the grip, but for the most part, never showed any more resistance. "How long have you been there?"

Alois stopped met Ciel's gaze with playful eyes. "Perhaps you should be asking how often I have been in there." He licked his lips. "You sure look better as a pauper than an Earl, most fitting I say-"

Sebastian gripped him harshly. "Boy, at the moment I don't see Claude being your servant nor do I see you with any of your own; if I kill you right here and now there will be no one to care for it, how about choosing your words carefully since no one will be here to get you. Revived demons such as yourself do not have familiars, they are reborn and forced to renew themselves, even their powers."

"Yes, yes, yes, I'm aware of that, I've been through the Circles and all, I don't need someone like you telling me anything. Besides, after what Claude did to me all those years, when my eyes were opened, you think I can obsess over the past?" His eyes changed from that brilliant shade of blue to a violent crimson, his smiled curled dangerously and his body tensed. "I've spent these few years gaining whatever powers I can so that I may kill the bastard with my bare hands!"

"Betrayal is something that can be of an excuse," Ciel bluntly stated,"for all I know, you are just in this for yourself as in you want to dodge the bullet and not be done in by myself or Sebastian. Sebastian, kill-"

But his order was interrupted when Alois blurted out,"The proof you want of my allegiance for now is on me. Go ahead, open my pouch, you'll find something of interest. I suppose Sebastian here would have certainly found my constant position at the Barracks to be a bit odd by now!" He laughed. "Go, I'm held back, I won't bite."

"Come to think of it, he does spend an awful lot of time there," Sebastian mused thoughtfully as Ciel quickly opened Alois's belt-bag. His hand reached in and pulled out a thick binding of letters. His eyes widened and he looked at the addresses. "Well, it seems like someone else was busy with Grell's letters as well."

"Would you think that I would have given those to Claude if I were still on his side?" The blond spat on the ground. "As if!"

"And none are open, hm, you certainly know what I want," the former Earl murmured, undoing the string and going through a single letter.

"Their all addressed to and from Grell, some from Dispatch or something like that, I know not but it's of pretty good use if it's very valuable."

Ciel opened one and unfolded a piece of parchment. He read it as quickly as possible and then confiscated a few more. "Goodness, you took everything. Reports, personal letters, everything." He stared at Alois disbelievingly and reluctantly sighed. "Let him go, he can be of use to us."

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